General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Am I over my head? Rss Feed  
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2004-06-09 1:07 AM

Veteran
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Houston, TX
Subject: Am I over my head?
Hello everyone,

I am the ultimate newbi to triathalons. ie I haven't even been to one, let alone competed in one. A friend of mine called me up and challenged me to compete in a sprint tri Sept. 19th. This is a 300m/10mi/3mi tri.

I used to be a competitive swimmer, but I haven't swam in several years. I've never biked and it has been 5 years since I did any running. I am probably carrying an extra 40lbs over where I should be. I went down to the pool today to see what kind of shape I appear to be in and I did about 2200 meters in 45 min. I did a 3-2-2 warm up and 5x300 freestyle on 5:30 which is a pretty darn slow pace for me.

I plan to find a local club to get some help training, but I thought I would post a basic question. Is 12 weeks enough to get from being relatively out of shape to being able to complete a sprint tri?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Brittain


2004-06-09 5:16 AM
in reply to: #30175

Member
31
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Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
You'll be fine. Your swimming is already pretty fast for a tri so I would concentrate on your bike and running - especially the bike as it takes up the major portion of the race. If you can find a tri club in your area I'm sure they will sort you out in 12 weeks.

Tina
2004-06-09 8:39 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Master
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Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
You are way ahead of where most of us started because of your swimming background. For me, learning to swim efficiently was by far the hardest part. (not that I have mastered that yet) Since you have some running experience in the past, you may want to start there to get yourself back into shape.

The weight will come off if you stick to a tri training program

Good luck. You will find this site to be a great resource.

Bill
2004-06-09 8:50 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Elite Veteran
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Smyrna, Georgia
Subject: You can do it!
If you can balance on a bicycle, you should be able to pick up the rest pretty fast. The swimming is by far the hardest thing for me and I wish I could do what you did. I'm lucky to do 800 m in 30 min. I'd focus on your running and biking. Within a few weeks, you should be able to tell which one needs more work and you can do that 3x per week while doing the other two 2x per week.

Good luck!
2004-06-09 8:59 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Veteran
138
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Lakeland, Florida
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
My bet is, spend a little time on your bike.....put on your shoes and get in a few easy miles, and you'll be just fine. It will be a great start and you have plenty of room and time to improve thru the summer. Good Luck
2004-06-09 9:09 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Member
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Waverly, IA
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
rock on man, more ex-swimmers to the cause! don't worry, the laps will come back to you soon enough and you'll be holding 1:05 hundreds in no time. keep training and good luck!!!!


2004-06-09 9:14 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Expert
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500100100
Durham, CA
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
Ditto to the above - you have lots of time to prepare!!! Your first sprint is all about finishing, not winning the event. Train in all three events, do a few brick work outs, take a few days off before the race and just have a good time!!!! You will meet lots of fun people, and more than likely become infected with the dreaded "triathlon bug" by the time the last race awards have been given out.
2004-06-09 9:24 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Elite
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New City, New York
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
I agree w/ all of the others. In fact I think it's a perfect long term goal that will keep you motivated. I recommend you take it slow for the fisrt 4-6 weeks and gradually increase your distances in weeks 6-10. Also, now is the time to start eating healthier. Working out is only 1/2 the batlle. I'm not suggesting any of those fad diets just no junk, lower carbs and more salads - hey it worked for me (oh yeah, a little less beer too - that's the hard part!!!!!. Good luck, Mark
2004-06-09 9:25 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Pro
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Broomfield, Colorado
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?

You are not in over your head!  Your swim will be fine.  Get biking, and if you can't run 3 miles - then walk!

Good luck!

2004-06-09 9:33 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Extreme Veteran
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Midcoast, Maine
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?

Hi,

I think you are way ahead of the game with your swimming skills, plus you have plenty of time to develope the run and bike.  Good luck in your training

2004-06-09 9:48 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Elite
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Reno
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
You should be fine to finish - be mindful of overtraining and of injury if you push yourself too hard in your competition with your friend. For instance - I believe COgirl is right - if you can't run, walk. If you can walk a brisk mile in 15 minutes, and can run a "slow" mile at 13 minutes, and the run is only 3 miles, well - is six minutes worth injury? Good luck and I hope it is fun.


2004-06-09 10:09 AM
in reply to: #30175

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Got Wahoo?
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San Antonio
Subject: RE: Am I over my head?
It sounds to me like you could almost do it now.  No way I could do 2200 in 45 minutes and I am training for a half IM.  You obviously need some work on the bike and some "refresher" laps on the track, but with 12 weeks, you have more than enough time.  In fact, in 12 weeks you could easily do an Olympic distance,
2004-06-11 8:18 AM
in reply to: #30175

Veteran
155
1002525
Houston, TX
Subject: Extracting Data from Logs (was Am I over my head?)
I just wanted to thank everyone for the replies and encouragement. I've found a local club now and I am getting a training plan together.

I am considering using the logs on the the site here to track my progress. The functionality looks pretty neat and it will allow me and my partner to share progress reports. One thing I tend to do is look at data like this a number of different ways. I have a spreadsheet where I have tracked my weight, %BF, calories, and workouts (not many!) since 1999.

Here's the question. If I keep my data in the site logs, is there a way to extract or download the data so I can compare with my other sets of data?

Thanks in adavance.

Brittain
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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Am I over my head? Rss Feed