Any Triathletes here?

[J-Dub]

I was once an obsessed road cyclist who got burnt out, now I want to get back in to cycling...with a twist.

I've set a goal, summer 2014 I will compete in a Half Ironman tri. I want to wait til next year simply to train. I dont want to just "finish", I want to be in condition to "race".

Im currently bikeless, but im going to pick up a beater roadie and then drop some serious cash on a tribike next year. This yr will be simply laying the ground work/foundation for 2014. Running is probably going to be my worst leg, as I HATE running long distance. My swimming is terrible, i just need to work on form and of course endurance in the water.

Living close to mountains (and unfortunately fairly close to the tri mecca aka: hippie boulder) I can get some serious altitude work. A climb I want to hit this summer tops out at 10k ft with a cat 1 climb to the top.

Sooooo any triathletes around? Any tips to give a rookie?

[bp7178]

Check around, some gyms/YMCA in your area may offer indoor triathlons. Much shorter, but will give you a general idea of what you're in for.

I'm sure there are some local tri clubs near you. I'd start there.

[Sensei]

I'm retired. Finished Ironman FL in 2001 as well as a few 1/2's.


I'd go ahead a buy a decent tribike ASAP. I chose the QuintanaRoo Tequilo which is the Glock of the tribike world. However, I liked to tinker and upgraded the components, wheels, seat, etc. You can find other good options with Cervelo, Cannondale, Kestrel, etc. You are going to pay at least $2K and double that is not uncommon.

Get comfortable with bricks - biking then running. Also, do some open water swimming so that you know how to sight off the land and not swim in circles. This is best accomplished by running a few sprint and Olympic distance races.

Finally, find some people to train with so that you have fun. There is safety in numbers when it comes to long bike rides.

[FChen17213]

Most triathlons start off biking. Then swimming, and finally running. If you're an experienced cyclist, then the cycling part would probably relatively easy for you. The swim is generally a pretty big shift of gears, and the run is the balls to the wall last stretch. I've never done a full triathlon before but have done a few mini ones when I was younger. I'm sure you could probably find some pretty experienced people at some of the local minis who have done full triathlons who could give you good advice.

Also, I would venture to guess that working on the parts that you may feel that you're less strong at might be a little more beneficial than improving what you're already really good at even more. My logic for this would be the law of diminishing marginal utility. Once you get to a plateau and are very strong at one thing, improving it even more is going to get significantly more difficult. If you never do something or are much weaker at another skill, improvement will come much quicker when you work at it. Good luck. Triathlons are tough events, and I admire everyone who has the will to do them.

[Sensei]

Most triathlons start off biking. Then swimming, and finally running.

Actually, the order is swim, bike, then run for all WTC events which include the 1/2Iron and Ironman events. It is also this order for the Olympic distance races. The are a few sprint distance races that don't start with the swim, but this is not the norm (I've run probably 50 sprints and all have been swim, bike, run)

The purpose of this is generally safety. Probably 20% of the competitors would drown in an Ironman if they had to swim 2.4 miles after biking 112 miles.

[FChen17213]

You're right. I switched the swimming and biking part. The run is always the most balls to the wall part I think though. Also, now reading the OP, I think he's doing a half triathlon, not a full one. Some of the mini ones are not in that exact order though. In fact, I remember a short event where the swim was actually last. In hindsight, I guess that isn't very safe is it?

[Sensei]

You're right. I switched the swimming and biking part. The run is always the most balls to the wall part I think though. Also, now reading the OP, I think he's doing a half triathlon, not a full one. Some of the mini ones are not in that exact order though. In fact, I remember a short event where the swim was actually last. In hindsight, I guess that isn't very safe is it?

The OP said that he plans on running a 1/2 Ironman which is a specified distance of 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and 13.1 mile run. This is 1/2 the distances of a full Ironman which is a 140 mile day.

Triathlons are organized according to distances with the Ironman being the longest sanctioned type of race (2.4 / 112 / 26.2 measured in miles). The Olympic distance is the shortest specified distance at 1.5 km / 40 km / 10 km. All shorter distances are generally referred to as "sprint distances" which can vary from race to race.

Although everybody has their favorite event, it is a general rule that the significance of the swim becomes less with the longer distance races. Anyone who has ever completed an Ironman will tell you that the bike is the portion that defines the race. Most people will spend 1/2 of the race time in that single event, and how you leave the saddle determines how miserable the run will become - especially after mile 18.

[J-Dub]

Most triathlons start off biking. Then swimming, and finally running.

Ya i didnt get past that part......since its incorrect. Also because I know you're a shill trolling this forum.


Now for the non-shills, So in your opinion would I be ok just owning a tri bike? Or would I benefit from having both a road bike and tri bike?

[bp7178]

Have you also considered a road bike and changing to aero bars for the tri?

[Sensei]

Have you also considered a road bike and changing to aero bars for the tri?

There is a big enough difference in geometry between tri and road bikes that this adaption becomes a no-go with longer distances. Remember what I said in my earlier post, the importance of the bike event becomes magnified in the 1/2 Iron and Ironman distances.

Ya i didnt get past that part......since its incorrect. Also because I know you're a shill trolling this forum.


Now for the non-shills, So in your opinion would I be ok just owning a tri bike? Or would I benefit from having both a road bike and tri bike?

If you plan to dedicate yourself to a 1/2 Ironman as a race, then a good tri bike is a must have. Trying to COMPETE in any distance longer than Olympic in a road bike is going to get painful - fast. You need to get comfortable in an aero geometry ASAP if you plan to take the race seriously.

If you just want to have some fun with shorter distances (Olympic and sprint), then a road bike is fine.

Is see no benefit to a road bike unless you plan to bike for fun with groups where drafting is legal. Keep in mind that this is not the best use of training time since drafting is illegal in all 1/2 Iron events.