General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Looking for some guidence Rss Feed  
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2017-06-10 7:32 PM


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Subject: Looking for some guidence
Hey everyone, I'm currently an NCAA d1 cross country and track runner. I run about a 4:08 mile, 8:20 3000 and I think a realistic 5k on the track would be about a 14:30 as it is what I'm training to run in the future. I recently finished my freshman year of college. So what my issue here is that I have just lost interest in racing track. I've always wanted to compete in triathlons and now I'm starting to think making a switch to triathlons isn't as crazy as it used to sound. Im an average swimmer although I've never trained to swim a day in my life and I love cycling and while I have done 20-30mile rides I only ride my fixed gear bike. I'm wondering, do you guys think this is a crazy idea? Do you have any recommendations on how to get started? I'm located in Long Island and from what I see there's plenty of events but can't find any groups I can contact online for advice. How do I even get started in triathlons? I don't know how any of it works other than that you swim bike and run. 3 things that I have great interest in but have never done one before the other.


2017-06-11 1:50 AM
in reply to: kylek42

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
With those times it looks like you have the run covered LOL! No, not crazy. Plenty of the elite ITU triathletes come from collegiate track and/or swim backgrounds. I would look into possible coaching or clubs to help you get started, particularly getting some swim instruction and/or joining a master's swim program. My guess is that at least initially you'd mainly be doing sprint and Olympic distances, and the swim makes up a greater part of those events. Having good technique can save you a lot of time on the swim. Also, if you end up being good enough to get into elite draft-legal events (maybe you are still young enough to qualify as a junior??), then a strong swim becomes particularly important, because it sets you up for a good position on the bike, which you then have to hold in order to bring your run strengths into play. (If I'm not making any sense, watch some Youtube videos of ITU or Olympic triathlons.) FaceBook should have some links to tri clubs and coaches in your area.

Another important step would be looking around for a suitable road or tri bike. People get into tri with all kinds of bikes--I started on a mountain bike--but a fixie really isn't the best tool for the job! In my first Olympic distance (on the MTB), I was 123rd out of 136 on the bike leg, ending up 9th woman and 4th (I think) in my age group. The following year, I was somewhere in the middle of the pack (I have a run/swim background; biking is not my strength) on the bike, and first overall for women, without a huge increase in run or swim speed. The bike does matter! Secondhand is fine as long as the fit works for you. Fancier equipment can come later if you decide to stick with the sport.

Best of luck!
2017-06-11 3:42 AM
in reply to: #5222134

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
I would see if your university has a triathlon club first. They seem to be popping up more and more. Or, perhaps another school in the area.

As suggested, I would look at joining a swim club/adult swim classes. Proper form is important. Although the swim is the the shortest of the 3 disciplines, it is at the beginning of the race and it would be beneficial to finish it and move to the bike portion.

Although you are wicked fast on the run, running after biking is a different phenomenon. In training, we call these "brick" workouts (bike, run right after).

Any bike will do, but a mountain bike is a miserable way to race a Triathlon. See if you can find a 10-speed/road bike for $50-100 on Craigslist. Or, if you are a poor college kid like we all were at one time, see if your parents would be willing to help a bit. Split the cost with them or something.

All else fails, borrow a bike.

Use this site for training. Hiring a coach at $100+ per month is a waste of money at this point. There are plenty of free resources on this site and they will get you to the finish line. That is your 1st main goal...get to the finish line. You are probably used to winning all of your track meets....be ready to be humbled in triathlon.

Good luck.
2017-06-11 5:02 AM
in reply to: Jeff B

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
Yep, forgot, colleges have tri clubs/teams now! They did not back in my day (late 80's, early 90's), or I probably would have gotten into the sport at a much, much younger age than 41! (I was a distance runner at a top D1 school and lost interest in the program after a few years when it became apparent that the coach and his training methods were a really bad fit for me.)

Ah yes, the bike.....sigh. Just because you are a good runner does not mean you will automatically be able to transfer that fitness to the bike. At one point (back in the day), I was one of the top 50 in the US at marathon and half. I had to struggle for a couple of years just to get to the point of mediocrity on the bike. Even now, having done 70.3 Worlds and a 5:16 HIM (at age 47), it's not my strength. Maybe depends somewhat on your body build, but if you have a typical lean and lanky "elite runner" build (I have the body, without the times to match LOL), it will take a lot of work to build bike-specific strength and endurance. The best bikers for both genders tend to be a bit bigger and more muscular than most top distance runners. There don't seem to be many shortcuts to getting fast on the bike, other than biking a lot and biking hard.

And putting down a good run after a strong bike is not necessarily much easier if you are a strong stand-alone runner. It can feel a lot more like the final miles of a marathon than anything else! There's an art to burning one's matches throughout the three legs (and it's different depending on the distance) that takes a long time to master. Enjoy the challenge!
2017-06-11 6:23 AM
in reply to: #5222141


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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
Thanks for all the great advice and info. If I were to make the switch I'd like to really push myself to do big things. My biggest problem with track is having to hold myself back throughout training and I feel if I am training in 3 things I can push myself a bit more as I'd be sharing the work between exercises. (Sorry if this is a bad way to think) this being said I'd like to train with a fairly strong team. I would be crazy to go and try to join a team before ever doing a triathlon I suppose so I guess my first step is just completing one? And maybe have a laugh when my bike and swim put me into last place.
2017-06-11 7:07 AM
in reply to: kylek42

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
It's true that with triathlon you can handle somewhat higher training volume than pure running, since swimming and biking are non-impact sports, which seems to matter more the older you get. Some of the top pros, especially at Iron distance, put in crazy amounts of training--30+ hours, mainly due to long hours on the bike. But you also have to realize that training is training and it does add up. Maybe less of an issue with younger athletes, but you still have to balance total training load (volume and intensity) plus other life demands on your time and energy with rest, recovery, etc. A hard swim workout, or intervals on the bike trainer, is still a hard interval workout. You might not be quite as sore as after a hard track session but you'll still be tired! At peak half-ironman training (the longest event I do) now, I hit 14-15 hours a week. That is more than I think I would do with high-level marathon training at age 20, and I would venture to guess that is with similar, if not higher, amounts of intensity. So yes, somewhat of a sport for masochists, if you decide to get competitive!


2017-06-11 10:49 AM
in reply to: #5222144

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence
Start by looking for a coach. Interview a few and share your goals. There are several good ones here. Best of luck!
2017-06-13 4:27 PM
in reply to: kylek42

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Subject: RE: Looking for some guidence

Not at all crazy, D1 runner and decent swimmer, you have this covered!  Locally here in FL, there's a woman who ran swam and ran track/CC in HS that went to UF on running scholarship.  IIRC, before her Junior year she decided to dedicate herself to triathlons, had a good junior ITU career and is now 7 years later an ITU triathlete on a mission to make the 2020 Oly team.  She's always running in local events.  You could always shoot a PM on FB to see if she'd reply.

http://www.triathlon.org/athletes/results/44045/kaitlin_donner

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Kaitlin-Shiver-Donner-256968347707761/about/ 

I started by attending/watching a local race and built up from there.  1st year and a half on Mnt bike doing fat tire events, then bought a RB and a year later a TB.  BT has some basic training plans that you can massage to your liking to get an idea of training structures for all 3 sports.  Or get a coach and dive right into it.

 

 

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