triOK's Group - FULL (Page 15)

I'm particularly fond of Dancy!  For some reason, our friends chose not to name their son that.  I gave them other suggestions like: DanNan for a boy and NanDan for a girl...but, to my surprise, they said no.  Go figure!

Never thought of that - that's an excellent idea!  My girls love him!  My older one even wrote him a letter last year with our phone number on it for him to call her! (That note never left the house...)

Let's talk about speed...

I know I have said to a few of you guys that "speed is like icing on the cake...."  Blah, blah... but how many of you are working on speed?  And I mean, you have a specific workout dedicated to speed/power.

Tell me what you are doing to make you faster....

gator22 - 2007-04-03 6:22 AM I made a decision to not worry about speed this year. I am going to do two or three races and just finish them (hopefully with a smile on my face). I have been out of shape for so long I think it is realistic for me to give myself almost a full year to get into the sort of condition to train for speed without hurting myself. I would like to make this "my sport" for many years to come (except a little golf) and I want to do it injury free if I can. So, a few back of the pack finishes at the beginning won't break my heart. My kids will think I am cool either way

Good policy, IMO.

I haven't done any type of speed work running - I'm just trying to get up to the distance for now.  I imagine I'll be doing more as we get into summer and I'm comfortable with the distance.  I think doing sprints up the hills will help with that.

I have been trying more on the stationary bike by increasing resistance and pedaling faster for 1-2 mins.  That's helped because I've found it does take some getting used to to move my legs faster.

Does anyone take any multivitamins? Any other kind of vitamin/supplement?

I've taken multivitamins sporadically, but I was wondering if anyone thinks they really do any good.

I take Centrum multivitamin.  I know I need to take something because I eat pretty poorly.  I don't know how you tell if it's doing any good though.

I don't think I even had the sentence completed before I heard a very convincing "NO!" from my wife...

It might be a good idea to practice to set your mind at ease ahead of time, but you should do well no matter what.

I've been reading race reports to get more ideas of what to do in transitions.  These are extremely useful!  Also, if you haven't seen it here's a short thread about transitions that has some good info.  http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=71080&posts=15&start=1

Transitions are really no big deal... I have never practiced one.  But I race a lot.

Key things for me in transition is a little towel to dry my feet off.  I wear socks.  Wet socks aren't fun.

Race belt

Bandana to keep the hair out of my face.

Sunglasses

Chapstick

If you are cramping up, its more than likely because you are dehydrated.  Drink Gatorade (for the electrolytes) and the problem is solved.

I thought I would share a little story about my night last night...

Once a year, my LBS has a blow out sale on everything in the store.  I took my friend, Jennifer, over there last night since she has been talking about getting a bike for a while.  We got her on a women's specific Dolce (Specialized) and she ended up taking it home.  I was super excited.  Now we can ride together!

I also ran into a couple of newbies looking at tri shoes.  They said they were doing the local tri coming up and were there to get all of their gear.  I was at the race last year, so I gave them some pointers, told them to get a race belt, and not to worry too much about the course (its really short).  I told them about how the pool was set up and how to do the snake swim.

Its hard to believe that I was in their shoes at this time last year; going into my first tri without knowing what to expect.  I wish I would have had someone to tell me what to do before my first race.  I think it would have been a much more pleasant experience.

Going into your first race, walking around looking at all the expensive bikes, and rippling muscles can be intimidating.  At my first race, I felt like people were looking at me like, "Does she really think she can finish this thing?"  In all honesty, triathletes are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.  And trust me, NO ONE is looking at you and doubting your ability.  So get there early, get a good spot in transition, and relax, because you are getting ready to kick some red bike.

Thanks for sharing the story, and all the help and pointers you've given us! 

The big question is, did you get anything at the blowout sale?

I got my hubby some shoes.

Thanks Robyn, that's good advice.  It can definitely be intimidating if you think everybody around you is an expert and you don't belong there. 

You've certainly learned a lot and are good at teaching us and giving us pointers after only one year!  Occasionally when I see the first page in this thread, it's hard to believe your line where you said you're entering your 2nd season of triathlons!

Of course not!  Okay, yeah, maybe a little.  Ya got me.