Todd's Tri Turtles 3 (Beginner, Sprint, 5K, 10K) Basically Closed (Page 14)

Best of luck to you Anna. You will do great and your knee Will hold up for you. Have a great day and great race

Hi Todd,

Yes, I was running against the flow of traffic when this happened. The car that was closest to me was passing another car it so this car doing the passing was in the same lane I was in (which is the oncoming traffic lane)!

I thought that might have been it. Just sucks when your becoming cautiously comfortable and then something like that happens and screws it up.

Great race Anna, and way to push through the discomfort. You call it mental weakness in your race race report but it could have been great mental toughness and thinking to take a more cautious approach when they started to hurt. 2 minutes of your time is not worth 2 weeks on the couch and a trip to the doc. Great time, great race.

Anna that's great. Congratulations finishing, and for adjusting your pace to listen to your body. Well done, keep it up!

I Have two things I wanted to discuss. First is, I am hoping to purchase a road bike in the next six months, sooner if possible, and I would like any advice or information other than getting a bike fit because I know that is important. Any tips are appreciated, including seat, shoes, etc, because I know nothing about bikes.
And second, has anyone been paying attention to the ocean research kat team that tags the great white sharks? There is one named Katherine that is just off Sarasota and I am going to be in Fort Desoto which is not far from there in the next couple weeks swimming my open swim. My next tri is the 26th but they are having a mock tri for free the 19th. I know it's silly to let that shark scare me but I was just getting comfortable swimming in the ocean for races and not having to worry about sharks.

I just got back from a lunch-time swim (I am fortunate enough to work at a University where a pool is only a few buildings away) and today's observation was just how much I'm noticing my swimming trunks dragging in the water. They are traditional shorts with pockets and today it almost seemed like the pockets were opening up and catching even more water. While I do have a tri suit, I have only swam in them once and it was only a few hundred yards so I don't have a good feel for it yet.

So I'm wondering - is this extra drag during my lap swimming actually a GOOD thing? I assume if I put the same effort into swimming in a more efficient suit during my tri, I should be either a little faster or less tired at the end, right?

Hi Kristen,

The good thing is that there are so many good brands of bicycles out there now (in my opinion). I have a Bianchi and love it - but in general I'd recommend just shopping around for what's in your price range and reading reviews.

I just went through the process of learning about shoes and pedals, which was a little tricky if you don't understand the language. Here is the first thing you need to know. "Clipless" pedals are actually pedals that you clip into with your shoe... it's a misnomer that REI does a nice job of explaining on the link below.

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/bike-pedals.html

For road bikes, there are generally two types of clipless pedals: the Shimano SPD-SL type pedals, and LOOK (a French company) type pedals . I use the Shimano SPD-SL system, which I believe is the most common in the U.S. They look like this

http://www.rei.com/product/710073/shimano-r540-spd-sl-road-pedals

I bought the Shimano R088 shoes to go with my SPD-SL pedals. I love them - very comfortable. I basically wanted to stick with Shimano for consistency.

Don't know what to say about the shark, except swim fast!

Hey Matt,

I noticed that my swimming technique seemed to improve when I switched from loose trunks to jammers. Maybe try alternating to see how you feel.

Kristen,

I just went through the same process 6 months ago myself. I studied and read reviews and studied some more. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that buying a bike from a local bike shop (LBS) is worth the extra money in my opinion. Find an LBS that will offer a bike fit on a computer or bike fitting machine. Also, most bike shops have people who ride a LOT, so they know what you will need, and work within your budget. My bike shop has the computerized fitting and offer free tune ups and wheel truing (making the wheel balanced and straight) for as long as I own the bike. Tune ups and truing can cost 40-60 dollars, so this is worth it. If you buy a bike online, it will be cheaper, but newbies like us should take advantage of a LBS. Internet bikes are OK, but for someone more experienced who can do their own repairs.

I bought an entry level road bike, shoes and helmet for 1000 dollars. I added clipless pedals, a new handlebar and stem. I originally went with a basic fitting, and after about 100 miles, every time I rode, my back and neck were killing me. During my first tri, everyone was passing me. I saw they were in the same gear, just blowing by me. I went in and had a fit done. The old settings and new setting were night and day. The LBS dialed in the new settings, and ordered and fitted a new handlebar and stem to make the ride more comfortable. Now I shaved off 10 minutes to my normal ride. I have more power with less effort. My LBS charged 150 dollars for the fit, but took off 10% of my purchase price of my bike, so my fit was only 50 dollars, a real bargain if you ask me.

Research a good LBS in your area (I used Yelp), and try and stay away from a chain store with no repair shop in house. Just my thoughts, hope you get a bike soon and enjoy it, I do!

Mike

I did the same thing as you starting out and then decided to buy a pair of TYR jammers. OMG, it made such a huge difference in my time, fatigue, and technique. I am not exaggerating when I say that my time almost instantly dropped 5-10 seconds per hundred, just by putting on jammers. I liken the difference to putting on one of the parachute things when you run a sprint. You are still moving but can tell that it is slowing you down. I also think it very wise to practice in what you will wear on race day often. Just remember if they are Tri shorts to rinse them out with cold water after the swim. I use the TYR jammers because they are close to the tri shorts and more suited for the damaging effects of chlorine and other chemicals in the pool.

Ok Kristen, let me give this a go!

I am not speaking to bike fit because you explained that you understand that part and will make sure it is taken care of.
1. Decide whether or not you want a road bike or tri bike. If you have a doubt in your mind about which one you want, ride both and make a decision as far as which bike you want before doing anything else.

Note: It would help at this point to know the general size range that you fit. Every brand will be a little different but a few test rides and free feedback from LBS will give you a good idea of where you likely will be.

2. Establish what your budget is going to be for just the bike.
3. Look up and at ever brand that is within your budget. Don't get to hung up in brand loyalty or what is popular or what others are riding, especially if you plan on keeping the bike for quit a while. (Quick story - I had a friend that I got into this sport over two years ago now, and has completed a Half Ironman. He comes and tells me that he could not wait to go buy his Cervelo P3. He told me that he has been saving and was going to get his P3 around Christmas. I asked him if he liked how it rode or what made him like it so much and he just had a blank look. He then went on to tell me that he had not ridden a P3 or any other Cervelo for that matter. I asked him how the heck he knew it was the bike for him and he responded that it looked cool! My response was that he should just rush out and buy one now then if it looks cool, which he understood and is now going to make sure to ride a bunch of bikes before deciding) I don't say that as a look at how dumb he is but instead to show that we sometimes get hung up on what's popular or the it bike / thing. He knows better but just got caught up in the brand.
4. Decide what is most important to you in your budget, Carbon Frame, fork, seatpost, with lesser components or the other way around. You will also find when you look at this that the companies handle this very differently. So are high end on one side while low end on the other. Felt seems to do a good job of giving you a good amount on both sides for the price. I liked there setups and the appearance of their bikes but not the ride for some reason.
5. Ride as many if not almost all of the bikes that are within your budget and then narrow the field down quit a bit.
6. Research the brand / models you have narrowed it down to. Look at reviews, test, just information in general that you can easily find on-line.
7. Ride the few you have narrow it down to again to see which you really like the best. (keep in mind while you are doing all of this that a lot of bike companies maintain a basic geometry from one year to the next, so keep an eye out for last years models or the year before that. A lot of times you can find a new one year old bike that was way out of your price range, now fits perfectly into it).
8. Make your purchase! At this point you should know that the bike you are buying fits you, rides well, and yes that you think looks nice. If you truly love your bike for all the right reasons you will want to ride it more.

Seats - you make love the one that comes on the bike or you may change it out later, but that it a quick swap and really won't come into that much of an effect when making your original purchase. The higher end bikes will already have the higher ends seats in a lot of cases. Seats are also a some like one some like another thing. I love my Fizik Tri seat, while a lot of men can not stand them and only want a Cobb seat.

Shoes - no different then running shoes, buy what you are comfortable wearing and like. The one thing here is that there are cycling shoes and Tri cycling shoes, Tri shoes are lighter and easier to get on and off. I am still racing with bike shoes after four years and am only going to buy tri shoes know because mine have had about enough and seem to be getting tighter.

Pedals - Patrick already gave you a pretty good run down on that front. I have look pedals and cleats, but that's because they were on sale when I bought my first bike and I have never had a problem with them so I just kept using them.

Sharks, Don't worry about them. With the overall size of the mass of people swimming and splashing during the race, you won't find a shark anywhere near you during the race. Remember that a lot of people that get bit are on their own and usually doing something that resembles a fish / seal in distress, which is an easy meal for a shark.

I hope this helped and if not let me know what you need elaboration on.

Thanks for all the bike info-

Just remember you don't have to swim faster than the shark, only faster than the person behind you

In physical therapy today, my trainer created a slow motion video of my run on her iPhone using an app called Ubersense. You can create a split screen showing your run versus a professional athlete with a similar style (e.g. mid foot strike) to compare your forms.

I haven't had much of a chance to play around with it yet, but it looks awesome. I was surprised how much I'm extending my leg and foot out in front of me when I land, which appears to be a major source of my calf injuries.

I'm sure there are other apps out there that are similar. It's fun and easy, so if you have a smart phone check it out.

Patrick, I'd be terrified to see just how poor my form is, and how goofy I look runnning with my duck foot

Edited by Hunting Triathlete 2014-07-10 6:59 AM

Hello everyone!

I have been stalking your forum for a while and have finally gotten up the courage to post today You seem like an awesome group of people!

A friend and I decided recently to train for a triathlon. We were stuck in a workout rut and I was at a point where I just felt like I wanted to do something big and amazing. I think doing a Sprint Tri would be pretty stinking amazing.

I've never seen a tri, never known anyone who has done a tri (that I am aware of), and have absolutely no clue what I am doing. I basically printed out a 16 week plan from the website and am following it exactly :D Beginnertriathlete.com has been my own personal trainer.

I honestly did not think I would make it past the first week but somehow we're on the second month now (how did that happen?!?!) We have about a million questions, most you'll probably laugh at - and that's OK with us

We're going to shoot for a Sprint Tri at the end of September at the beach in NC.

I'll be a 34 years old by the time of the Tri and I have a great husband and 3 young kids (ages 8, 6, and 4). I'm a mediocre swimmer, a terrible bike rider (seriously - why does it hurt your butt so much??), and I have never been a runner. That being said, I'm SO FLIPPIN' PROUD that I've made it this far :D

So I guess I'll start with the stuff that makes me really anxious - we're swimming in a channel. Today I swam 750 meters in a pool. I don't recall that I've ever swam a long distance in the water. I'm planning on being one of the last ones in the water, but what if someone konks me in the head or I swim straight into someone's foot (likely), or something crazy like that? I've heard there are boats in the water - anyone care to elaborate? Like I said - I've never even seen a triathlon so I have no idea what I'm walking into here.

Thanks for any tips! I'm sure to be posting lots of questions!

This user's post has been ignored.

Way to go! You just have to jump in there an get going. When I first started running, it was a serious effort. It just takes one foot in front of the other. I found that doing a walk-run helped a lot. I should have continued to use that method and maybe I wouldn't be breaking bones from too much running.

I also feel like swimming is a struggle. I'm doing a mini-sprint next month. The swim is only 300 yards, but that may as well be 2 miles as far as I'm concerned.Do any of you awesome swimmers have any tips for someone (ME!) who can't seem to ditch the fins and paddles. When I try to swim without them, I feel like I am not moving at all. Thanks in advance!

Best tip: just forget to take them to the pool! You may be slow without them but that's fine, you'll improve. Do one lap, (or however much you can without them), then rest, then just keep on repeating until you've had enough. 10 mins, half an hour, an hour, however long. The key is consistency, just getting in there! Other tips: check out both total immersion and swim smooth websites. Lots of advice re technique. Tri-ing, good on you for getting started and welcome to the group! Todd runs a great group, I think you'll find lots of help and support here

Edited by Taringa 2014-07-11 2:00 PM

Hi Laurina,

Congrats getting to 2 months - keep it up! A 750-meter swim is a good practice distance for a sprint tri. During training, I try to swim at least a couple extra 100 meters beyond the sprint tri distance to make sure that I'm 1) confident on race day and 2) have some extra fuel in the tank to transition into the bicycle ride.

Before the race, I would highly recommend swimming in the channel with your training partner. Wind, waves, and water temp can really throw you off on race day if you've only been training in a swimming pool. A good technique to try out is siting while you swim. Maybe once every 10 strokes lift you head up to look where you're going. Also try to get more comfortable looking around under water while you swim. So much of the time I just stare at the bottom of the pool, but learning to glance around at other swimmers from time to time will help you stay relaxed on race day when swimming in a pack.

On race day, try to position yourself appropriately within the starting pack. Obviously don't squeeze between two elite swimmers if you think you're a slow swimmer. I am not an elite swimmer (not even close) and I bumped into a few people during my sprint tri, but they were definitely harmless bumps and not collisions. I found that everyone who was non-elite spreads out fairly quick within the first minute. The key is to just stay relaxed as much as possible. If you find yourself feeling flustered, just float on your back, catch your breath, then turn over and try to find your groove.

There are usually support kayaks, but again, try to build up your confidence so that you know you can support yourself on race day. Try swimming 200 meters beyond your comfort zone in the pool, and either tread water or use the back float to rest as needed.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

Thought I would give you guys an update.
No workout today. Yesterday, I had tough run as I was feeling a little under the weather.
As of yesterday afternoon and today, I am downright sick. Dry cough, headache, dry scratchy throat and overall crapiness.

My mother is diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Inoperable. Chemo is delayed due to some level of something in her system is too high at a 10. It has to be a 5 or less.
My sister is holding down the fort while my brother, uncle and cousin attend my aunt's funeral in Jamaica.
Hubby and I are considering cancelling our trip because my mother seems ok now but worry she'll get worse sooner rather than later.
Trying to see if our resort hotel fee is refundable at this point. Airline cost can be credited back to us with no fees.

Oh, no, I am so sorry. My prayers and thoughts are with you. I hope your mom improves enough to get onto chemo.