Danskin Women's Triathlon

You'll be ready. Being a little nervous is good. I did the Danskin Race in L.A. and it was a wonderful event. Everyone was so supportive and it was organized and well run. Enjoy the experience and good luck!

Brenda, I'm with you at times. Yesterday's bike ride gave me some confidence, but every time I swim, I feel less so... its my weakest link.
however, I'm remaining positive and keeping in mind that I still have time to fine tune my skills and get my endurance up...
-Mary


Edited by marymosc13 2006-08-10 5:31 PM

i just did the danskin in Webster, MA

a great experience!

you guys will do fine—the field is a such a wide variety of athletes of every level of ability

those who do come in closest to the end get the most support from the spectators

I am doing the Sandy Hook race as well : )

getting nervous as i keep having set backs, back injury and pink eye so bad that i can't even see. but i think it will all be ok, doing mental preparation...right mary.... we have to get in the open water soon. still feels like the right place and time to try this tri!

i'm still available for monday or tuesday to go jump in the ocean or whatever... forgot to tell you that i had sympathy eye crusties the next morning after you told me about the pink eye. hope its healing.
i'll call you over the weekend.

Brenda,
Glad you started this thread. I think I was more confident when I first started training for this race (probably because it was still 16 weeks away!) and now I'm starting to get a bit nervous, mostly about swimming. Am going on my first ow swim tomorrow with two girlfriends who are also taking part in the race. Wish me luck!

K.Lynne

Tomorrow (Sat. 8/12)I am meeting up with the Ocean City, MD Team Danskin group that's been training for the Sandy Hook race for an open water swim. I couldn't train with the group regularly because it was just too far away, but I did manage make arrangements to hook up with them for open water swim practice. I feel like the swim is probably going to be my best part of the race - it will be interesting to see if I still feel that way tomorrow after swimming with other people. Hope everyones training is staying on course. Have a great weekend, Brenda

Edited by crabsrule 2006-08-11 9:40 PM

I feel ya. The run is my worst, most people come into tri's with a solid running foundation and the exact opposite is true for me. I don't know why, but it's the only sport where the little devil hangs out on my shoulder and whispers in my ear "this isn't any fun, just stop, go home, go back to bed..." - it's such a struggle for me!

Oh well, what doesn't kill us etc. etc.

Anyone else doing the Bradley Beach 5K or the Ray Licata Memorial Swim next weekend? I'm doing both...if I don't keel over during the run, that is

Would love to hear from or meet up with more NJ gals, especially fellow first tri'ers!!

~Christine

My running sucks and the little devil on the shoulder always tells me to slow down and stop. But I push through and am doing OK. The OWS scares me a bit. The pool is much nicer. Three of us in VA are coming to the NJ race. We try to train together but the distance between us is a bit far to train everyday. Hope to see ya at the pre race reg. Just keep plugging along at the running. We're on our way to becomming TRIATHLETES!!!!

looked at the licata memorial race, looks interesting, but i'm intimidated b/c its a mile long... not a 1/2 like in this sprint triathlon... also, i'm thinking its very different swimming in the ocean as opposed to a bay?
-m

hey maxpixie, fellow NJ first timer here. my sister mary and i are trying to do an ows in toms river area on tuesday afternoon. she is in the clifton area and i am in trenton if you need someone to train with now and again.

have to thank you all for admitting that the devil sits on your shoulder during the run cause i thought i was the only one. i felt like i beat him tonight cause i did my first road mile (not treadmill, actually on a track) running the whole way, no stopping. then i walked a 1/2 and then ran another 1/2 but i thought that if you all can make him shut up, i can too!

mary,
i thought about doing that too but 1 mile and ocean.......

Edited by mosc11 2006-08-13 8:11 PM

My husband and I are doing the Bradley Beach 5k next weekend and I'm doing Danskin.
I did both last year and they were a lot of fun (I am with you that running is my weakest of the three). Looking forward to both this year though!

I can put all of your minds at ease about the run for the Danskin race - from the times you have posted in your logs you are lightening fast compared to me. You guys had better have a refershing beverage waiting for me at the finish line - you will have plenty of time to get one ready. I don't post distance in my logs for two reasons - I am simply not prepared for the world to see how slow I am and second I really don't want to get hung up on what my pace is. I'm happy knowing I can run three miles - even if I do track it on a calendar instead of a watch

Edited by crabsrule 2006-08-13 8:48 PM

One more thought. There are a bunch of us from heading to Va Beach Labor Day weekend. They are running the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon (my husband is the real runner in the family ) We are talking about getting together for an ocean swim - if any one is interested let me know. There are some seasoned triathletes in the group that would be more than willing to give out good advise!!

thanks for the compliment, but the way i see it, i'm in no hurry - no rush at all!

.. my 3 mile run yesterday probably took the better part of 45 min to an hour - i could've run faster, but wanted to do it all running, and didn't want to tire early and run out of gas.

remember that what you're saying about the run, is what i'm thinking about the swim... i am so very slow in the water, i'm tempted to tie a line to my sister so i can finish in some close proximity to her... and when i read on the danskin website that there were kayaks available so you could catch your breath without being DQ'd, I nearly shouted for joy!

If you guys are nervous about the mile OWS, dont' be From what I understand, it's an extremely well organized event with lots of lifeguards, and lots of first-time ocean swimmers! We were at the west end beach last weekend, the water was very warm and very calm. You're totally right, it's twice as long as what we need for the Danskin swim, and it's in open ocean instead of a bay - so you'll *really* get a feel for what you can do. I think tracking will be easier though, since you'll always have land on one side (as opposed to an out-over-and back swim).

And there will be a bunch of us for whom it's a first OWS in preparation for the Danskin - me and 3-4 of my co-workers, at the very least Don't be shy, come on out!

~Christine

Mary, are you sure about not being DQ'd if you grab a kayak during the swim??? I have another swimming question for you guys. Do you think a wet suit will be needed??? How many of you are planning on wearing one??? I had a major splurge on a new bike, so I already have to do another race (actually a lot more races) to justify that little purchase. I would really like not to get a wetsuit if I can help it.

yep, it's true, no DQ for holding on to a kajak.

i am not going to buy a wetsuit, i did purchase a trisuit. when i went to the training seminar with sally edwards i spoke to a lot of the people who did it last year and they said that they would not recommend buying a wetsuit for this one, first time out. i'm trying to keep the purchases to a minimum. i'm borrowing a bike that my husband's friend got in his divorce settlement, we may buy it off him if i stay into this whole tri thing like i feel that i am going to.

Yeah, no wetsuit here either. I think the water is going to be pretty warm; not quite warm enough that they'll say no wetsuits for anyone, but probably pretty close. I think it will be a while into tri'ing that I get a wetsuit, if ever. It just seems like one of those things that unless you're trying to place, (or you're doing early/very late season tris) you really don't need it.

But that's cheapo me talking - I got new sneakers, a race belt, yankz, non-cotton socks, a bike tune-up that included slicks and a bottle cage, a padded seat cover, a new helmet, gloves, and swim goggles. And that's enough!! I'll be a major fashion victim on the course - I'll be doing the sports-bra-under-the-bathing-suit thing and throwing on a pair of running shorts in T1 (and they probably won't match!)

Don't care, as long as I finish strong!

Looks like I will have some non-wetsuit wearing company!!! A few have mentioned wanting to do another race, and there is a great one on the eastern shore of MD. Here's the link
http://www.mdcoastalbays.org/osprey/info.php My husband has done it the last two years, and I have volunteered. If I survive the Danskin race I will probably sign up for this one. The course is very flat and the swim is usually on the short side of a 1/2 mile.

KLynn and I are going to rent a wet suit for the race. We just found a store that is willing to rent them. I sure don't want to spend the money for one without doing one race. But think that I am very interested in doing more, providing that race goes OK. Also found out that this company does OWS practices M and W in the bay in VA Beach. They also have newbies that go out to train. Sure would feel stupid if we were the only ones that were newbies.
Really starting to get a few butterflies thinking about race day!!

FYI to those in NJ or those nearby, August 27th in Long Branch is an informal Tri, you keep your own times and they don't stop traffic. You can just sign up for the swim if you want. it's sponsored by the Sandy Hookers, a tri group in the north shore area. i think it's 20 bucks to register, 10 for just the swim.