Yes im thinking about doing some Tri's this year.

I already did a Duathlon and i think i should be able to compete.

The only things that scares me is swimming outdoors in WI in June.

Isnt that going to be FREKIN cold?

I looked at tri weysuits but so expensive and no way one is going to fit me.

Last week i ordered tri top and shorts seperatley which are an alt. to a wetsuit.

OK who has done tri's???

Help me out here.

The first one for me would be in 4 weeks or so.

I have never done one, and honestly don't have the gumption to do so. But, I sure do admire you for doing one. I am proud of myself for just finally getting my lazy butt to join a gym, and am still in shock that I am actually enjoying it.

Good Luck Whoysa!!!

Triathalon is a LONG way from the Couch 5k - You've done amazingly, Congrats!!!

Whosya, as I've mentioned a couple of times, I am with you here. I am looking at 2 this summer. One in mid July and the other early August. Like you, the swimming is what I think will bother me the most. I know I can do the ride/run thing as I've done it a couple times the past couple of weeks around home. But swimming! Should be interesting.

Good luck on yours in a month. Keep us updated on your training and let us know how you do.:biggrin:

My problem with triathlons is that I don't swim with fish...do you think they will let me swim my part in a chlorinated pool????

Whosya you are quite the inspiration. I am preparing for my half marathon and am hoping to do the Eugene marathon next year and the endurance duathlon (56 mile bike & 1/2 marathon), but we will see! Just don't know if I can get past the fish thing! OR the cold thing!

Hey guys thanks for all the replies.

Ceradad...yeah i think we are close in our journey as far as fittness goes. But you have got a lot less to lose than me at this point. No big deal..ill get there.

Salsa!!! your insperational too! I am doing a 10 k soon. Hopefully by the end of the summer ill be ready for a half marathon. Right now i have found that 10k is my high limit. I did one on friday morning and i was sore the next day. I pretty much am up to 5miles 3 times a week. which i can do ok.

I need one of thise swimmers MP3's cas i get bored swimming laps now.

Susan and LuLuc...i love you guys!

THe swim can be cold! I just did one last weekend and the temp in the Water was 61 F. EEK! The common wisdom is wetsuit if the temp is under 68- at least that is what I have been told. I think I had an advantage over some of the other swimmers with my extra bodyfat. I would have loved to have had a wetsuit, but it is almost impossible to find one that fits me correctly at my weight. As a man, you should be able to find one. They give you a HUGE ergonomic advantage in the water- just make sure that you get a tri wetsuit. The scuba or surf kind is constructed differently and would be a real pain to swim in. I wish you the best! Tri is so much fun! My husband is an extreme endurance cyclist snob (joke) and he likes to say that triathlon is for athletes who want to suck in 3 sports! He cheers me every race and loves to be my support! I would love to talk with yo more about tri-

KatW

HI Kat.

Yep i looked into a wetsuit. But nothing in my size really. So i took a suggestion and got a Singlet top for Tri and shorts seperately as they say this is less constriting. I look HORRIBLE in them.

Question for you: When you swim does everyone do front crawl/freestyle?

I can swim along way on breast stroke but i am trying to bring up my front crawl . I can do 150 yards now with front crawl only and its coming along. Right now i can do 5 or 6 laps front crawl(freestyle) and then i have to do 50 yards on breaststroke (two lengths) to recover. Its coming up fast as before i could only do 1 length.

The first one is 400 yard swim which would be 16 lengths. But i figure its cold and might be waves..so if i can do 25 lengths non stop freestyle i should be ok.

Don't worry if you have to switch to BS during the race! I have seen people swim on their back, sidestroke, paddle....There is no rule that it must be entirely FS. I like to be able to swim an easy 2000 meters in a WO before I feel like I have enough endurance to really race during the swim. The thing that I have found about the swim is that adrenaline plays a huge role in the Water. Most people go out at a much faster pace than they can maintain and the consequences to the rest of the race are huge! In addition, you will find that the water is not so much the issue as the other swimmers who may kick you, run in to you, run you over, etc. Also, new open water swimmers forget to sight enough and they will swim off course, and that can really add to the distance.

One last note, if you will allow me to give some words from my experience. When you get out of the water be prepared to be very disoriented. You will be dizzy and surprisingly confused. You will get to your bike and forget to put on your socks before your bike shoes. Practicing your transitions from the swim to the bike and the bike to the run can really help. Some people just want to think it through, but I recommend actually doing it more than a few times. Plan it out and it will go much smoother.

When is your 1st event?

KatW

Wow great advise. Its in 3 weeks on June 8th i think. Thanks so much for your advise! It REALLY helps me!

To think that a year ago I wouldn't even think about replying to a tri-athelon topic and even consider participating in one is crazy! Here's my story. I used to weigh 290lbs. When I weighed that much I was still -pretty active (if you call slow-pitch softball and rec volleyball active.:wink2: )

Now thanks to my lap-band and losing 80 lbs (I still have quite a bit to go) anyway I have been doing the couch to 5K and I really like it! tonight I ran/walked 3.2 miles in 37.05. OK enough of my rambling. I was searching for some 5k races around my hometown last night and came across a sprint tri. (300m swim, 11 mile bike, 5k run) This event will take place Sept. 6 ( 4 days after I turn 43!)

I feel the same way about the swim, I think I would be able to handle the bike and run, it's just I haven't been in a swimming pool actully swimming laps for at least 10 yrs. Does this sound like an achievable goal? Or should I just wait a year? How should I go about training for this? Of couse when I told dh, he just laughed, which makes me want to do this more!:smile:

where can I find training guides to help me prepare for a triathelon. Hope I didn't hog too much of your thread.

Geez, beginning to feel like the resident know-it-all but here goes.

I am currently weighing in at 260 lbs and I compete in triathlons! Sometimes I even manage to place. The point is you can totally do this!

THere is a website that I am leaving here that might help you get started

BeginnerTriathlete.com - Athena & Clydesdale Triathletes. This is the page to the clydesdale/athena forum, but the site itself has great training info as well as free basic programs that you can use.

As a fatty, the run will never be your friend, but the swim- you can rock on (sometimes I compete on a team of normal sized athletes and I am there because I am the fastest swimmer they got! So far, this season, we have come in 1st and 2nd in our division.- I am seriuosly proud of us! Let me brag a little!) Swim is all technique and stamina- the Water removes the weight as an issue. Even on the bike, you can do well- tri with hilly courses excluded. The weight counts there!

I think ti have alot of support and acceptance for all kinds. Perhaps because everyone there has a problem with one of the disciplines. Good swimmer-bad runner- you get my point!

I hope you plow forward!

KatW

To think that a year ago I wouldn't even think about replying to a tri-athelon topic and even consider participating in one is crazy! Here's my story. I used to weigh 290lbs. When I weighed that much I was still -pretty active (if you call slow-pitch softball and rec volleyball active.:wink2: )

Now thanks to my lap-band and losing 80 lbs (I still have quite a bit to go) anyway I have been doing the couch to 5K and I really like it! tonight I ran/walked 3.2 miles in 37.05. OK enough of my rambling. I was searching for some 5k races around my hometown last night and came across a sprint tri. (300m swim, 11 mile bike, 5k run) This event will take place Sept. 6 ( 4 days after I turn 43!)

I feel the same way about the swim, I think I would be able to handle the bike and run, it's just I haven't been in a swimming pool actully swimming laps for at least 10 yrs. Does this sound like an achievable goal? Or should I just wait a year? How should I go about training for this? Of couse when I told dh, he just laughed, which makes me want to do this more!:smile:

where can I find training guides to help me prepare for a triathelon. Hope I didn't hog too much of your thread.

I am not training for a tri, but I am training for a 1/2 marathon and I think it is totally doable. I went from being able to run about 1/2 mile in January to running my first 5K in April...and will be able to run a half-marathon on June 29. Last Sunday I did a 12 mile walk/run and ran 9.7 miles (7 straight!), so it is very doable if you REALLY are willing to work. It won't be easy...but if it was...it wouldn't be worth doing!

Triathlons are the best! I have done the Danskin Triathlon for four years now. You might want to exchange the tri top and bottoms for a one piece. I got annoyed with having to pull the top down all the time. With the one piece you are all covered up and ready to swim, bike and run in it. I add a t-shirt over the tri-suit for the bike and run.

A few tips:

Do what ever you can to eliminate surprises (walk the course before race day, swim in the lake, have a spare pair of goggles, and practice transitions)

Bring a spare bottle of water to rinse your feet after you swim and before you put on your shoes.

On race day, walk to each starting place from your changing station so you don’t get confused.

I have never felt anything so wonderful as crossing the finish line and remember that you will finish before all those people who never got started.

Have fun!

Lanie

Salsa - I am going to be working in Olympia, WA for the summer. Can we chat off-line about lap-band support?

Lanie

Yep, some of us have the triathlon bug. In September I weighed 265 with a BMI of exactly 40, hypertension, and sleep apnea. Today I weigh 205 have dropped 6 inches off my waist, and I've competed in my first 5k since leaving the military 13 years ago. I'm signed up for th eNJ State Triathlon in July (Sprint distance), and I cannot wait. I'm riding and running now, and in June I plan to add swimming. Tonight was a 40 minute Fartlek (speed session) that I did for the first time. I think I was less tired after the 5k!! By July I should be well below my initial goal of 199 pounds...perhaps at my final of 185. If nothing else I plan on being able to say: I am a triathlete. It is better to finish last than not to finish at all, and it is better not to finish than never to have started. (from Triathlon site)