Tri-Curious - -full (Page 3)

Welcome to everyone who joined the group this weekend! The group is officially full now.

Let's start by having everyone tell me what their 1 or 2 major curiosities/concerns are about triathlon so that I can tailor the direction of my random info postings.

Happy first day of May!!

I became interested in triathlon because of a magazine as well!

Good job picking out a training program, that's the first step. How has your training been going this week?

You're in! Tell us a little about yourself.

Welcome to the group. What are you currently doing for training?

Congratulations on the weight loss!

You're already a swimmer, you've been biking, and you've got a run base - good start! Check out the training plan section of the website and find a plan that suits your needs (fitness level, time available).

My past week has been terrible too, so good riddence for the end of it! I seem to be making my recovery and am feeling better but still getting there. Luckily it seems to not be cardiovascular, but I don't know just yet.

I'm excited for your wetsuit!! I decided this year that I want to use one, not for the water temperature but to give me an easier time on the swim. I think I'm going to rent one.

Welcome! What made you decide to take part in triathlon?

Hi Cindy! You're in so feel free to post your info. How was the city clean up?

I had to laugh about the bike pedals thing! Don't feel intimidated or silly regarding the bike issue, just 2 weeks ago I went through my very first road bike purchase with the help of a friend on this site. No, my bike didn't come with pedals and yes it cost more than a grand. The choice of pedals is up to you. If you want standard pedals they will put them on your bike for next to no cost. If you want clipped in pedals (shoes) they cost more but increase the efficiency of your pedaling. I am not an expert on this so I'm going to refer you to the "Gear Reviews and Questions" forum on this website.

Hi Beth! Good luck on your half marathon next week. Are you looking for a personal best on that distance?

How is your training so far for the June triathlon?

I'm starting to realize how important nutrition is to training for a tri.  By Friday, I was starting to slow down and ended up taking Saturday off.  Overall, no major injuries or anything for concern just a few sore muscles.  Right now its about pacing myself and sticking to the program.     It feels great to finally get started on this journey!!

A little about me:

Age: 35, female from FL

Why: I use to watch the Ironman as a kid and decided it was time to do it...plus I made it a goal for 2011.

Activities: I'm at the boxing gym 5 days a week and now I'm at the health spa at 5am following the 11-week program.

Any veggies out there?

The open water swim is always what gets me..so much different than the pool. Not sure if there's much I can do other than get some practice in during the summer.

Up to this point i've used a wetsuit from my scuba days, but I think it's worth getting a tri wetsuit (good xterra deal with bt coupon), and seeing if that helps movement, etc.

I think I will sign up for the Woodstock triathlon - june 12th..even if i have to walk the 2.5k at the end :P

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as far as bikes and pedals go. Clipless pedals with the right shoes makes a huge different..I'd never go back to anything else.

Name: Jaime

Age: 20

Story: After I quit soccer in middle school, I became pretty sedentary. I gained a bit of weight, at my highest I was 165 lbs or so which at 5'4" is overweight. I joined a gym and did manage to lose 40 lbs but I gained it back, sadly. Last summer, I decided to get into triathlon. It seemed fun and I've always had an interest in multisport. I decided that it wasn't good enough just to work out to lose weight, I wanted to do something more substantial- ergo triathlon! I want to be in good shape, and have not achieved anything close to that in so long. A lot of people on this site seem to come to the sport with substantial background. I'm in a very different position. Less than a year ago, I couldn't swim 25m in a pool, I couldn't run more than half a mile on a treadmill, I still don't have a bike (I'm getting one once school is over!). Over the last year, I have made relatively substantial progress, but I still have a long way to go. I hope to get into good enough shape over the summer to be able to join the Tri Club here at school next year!

Current Training: I started by following the rudimentary schedule the Tri Club here at school released for people training over the summer. For a while though, I haven't been following much of a structured plan. I have been trying to do increase my running the way most plans do; I think it's 10% increase for three weeks and then a taper week. I've also been trying to build up my swimming using the 0to1650 plan. As for biking, I have been attending spin classes.

Not being in good shape is a bit unnerving. I want to be able to hold my own which has halted my joining the Tri Club. I am also increasingly nervous about signing up for tris because I feel as though I couldn't finish a sprint. Sigh. One day!

Okay.  I have a question for anyone more experienced at the bike portion:

When you pedal your bike, are you relying more on your quads or your calves?  I was having a discussion with someone else of a novice stature, and they said that they were instructed in their bike fitting that 75% of their pedal stroke should come from the calve muscles.  If this is the case than I am doing it dead wrong because my thighs feel like two cynder blocks when I am done a long ride. 

Nutrition is very important! It's interesting to see the difference in performance when you play with different meals surrounding workouts. I workout in the morning and learned that avacado is a terrible choice before a run, but a banana (usually half) is just fine for me. In retrospect, the avacado was also a bad choice pre-workout because of the high fat content.

Good idea switching to a tri specific wetsuit. They are made to make it easier to swim front crawl compared to some other wetsuit types.

You're right with the open water swimming - practice practice practice. I will be taking my own advice and doing so to prepare for the events this summer. My first/only triathlon swim was terrible, but part of that was the nerves about being in an event and having family/friends watching.

Don't let developing athletic/triathlon confidence hold you back from taking part in the tri club. If you want to do it go for it now because it will only help your progress. Most likely there will be other new people in development there and you won't be alone. Everyone starts somewhere!

I don't know enough about this to comment personally, but here's a link that has an image of proper foot position at various point through the pedal stroke.

http://www.bikesplit.com/bsa4.htm

I welcome more experienced cyclists in the group to help us out! If no one is sure I recommend asking your question in the "Triathlon Talk" area of the forum.

I went to scope out the tri site:  the lake, the bike route and the running route.  I feel so much better about everything now.  It is one thing to do internet research mapping the course etc, another to actually be on the roads and looking at the lake. 

I am definitely looking forward to my first tri now!

Everyone using their training log on this site??

I'm still waiting for my bike from the shop, but I've been getting some running in, and swimming once a week (wednesday nights). I have major fatigue / soreness still the day after working out .. hopefully I can get past that..I'm in bad shape

Exciting! I remember checking out my route last year - lots of fun!

Hopefully the weather is better for your tri.

I use mine, but it's not very consistent lately due to injury/illness. When I get back on the 16th from vacation I will start training regularly for my tri in 12 weeks.

Is everyone else using the log? In my experience new members don't, but I highly recommend even just putting some details. It helps you track your progress and is motivating to look back on.