My latest “Can I really do this?” musing is a sprint triathlon. I crashed and burned (figuratively) on running a half marathon last year. The longer training runs (10+ miles) just beat me to death, leaving me with so much joint pain that it was taking me way too long to recover from them.
So I’m thinking a sprint triathlon might be doable. I already have a good running/biking base. The event I’m looking at is at the end of June. Like many first-timers, I would be starting from scratch on the swimming, but I’m at least not scared of it. My goal would be to finish.
I found this thread, which has some very good info in it. I also checked a couple of books about triathlon training out of the library.
I have a few specific questions that weren’t addressed in the above-linked thread, the answers to which might help me decide if I want to go for this or not.
I am not going to go out and buy a new bike. I have two: a 35-year-old Raleigh Grand Prix that is geared for racing and a hybrid road/mountain bike is geared more for hills. Would using one of these be the equivalent of trying to run the 5K in cheap stiletto heels – theoretically possible but a really bad idea for a 54-year-old first timer?
I haven’t been in a pool for lap swimming in years. Would swimming lessons to teach me how to really do the front crawl be worth it? Or for the sprint distance will it really matter, as long as I put the time in to train in the water?
Any other advice, observations, recommendations for training resources, etc., would be greatly appreciated.
Check the terrain for the bike course and make your choice from there. For a first timer, either bike will do. I did several duathlons(can’t swim to save my life) and used my set-up-for-commuting mountain bike.
Practice the transitions, not just for the time saved by improving your efficiency but also to practice the change in muscle use.
There is a lot of material out there on triathlon training techniques. A sprint distance race is very achievable, particularly if your goal is to finish and not necessarily win. For your age group, you could very well be in the top finisher category because most competitors are much younger.
Swimming lessons, if you’re not already a swimmer, are a great idea. Technique in the water is more important than your overall strength. You will not do well in the bike or run if you exhaust yourself thrashing in the water. So do take some lessons. Focus on swim technique and minimize the kick. You want to save the legs for the bike and the run. Let the swim teacher know you are training for a triathlon.
The bike, use the lightest of the two and absolutely use the bike you’ll be training on. If you enjoy the racing, you might choose to buy yourself a tri specific bike but I would not blow that money just yet.
Finally, brick training (transitions) are very important. Once you get into the training, set days where you go from a swim to a ride, or a ride to run. The toughest few minutes in any transition is acclimating from one activity to the other. You need to get used to the feeling of it.
There is plenty of material on line to help with training and tips. Most important of all is just to train and get the miles and hours in the pool.
I’d recommend the 35-year-old Raleigh Grand Prix over the hybrid. If the bike has toe straps, you’ll save time changing shoes during the transitions.
Like Runner_Pat says, there’s duathlons, sometimes called biathlons, which don’t require swimming at all.
If your joints are bothering you running, make sure that your running shoes are correct and not worn out. I get about 300-400 miles out of a pair of running shoes. If that doesn’t help, maybe you should consider giving up the running and just ride the bike. As long as the bike is fitted to you properly and you keep pedals spinning around 80-90 rpm, biking is better on the knees.
I had a knee 'scoped due to running and ride my bike about 4500 miles a year now. However I’ve taken up walking half marathons with my wife. My knee can take the walking, but I’d rather go on a century (100 mile) ride instead!
Like I said in the other thread, be sure to include some open-water swimming in your training - it is quite different from swimming lanes in a pool. Also, a wetsuit may be advised, which can give you more bouyancy. The swimming was my achilles heal - and not the time to be surprised.
You may want to invest in some new slick tires for either bike you plan to use. You would not want to trudge thru a triathlon with mtn or commuter tires.
In the Sacramento area, we have Eppie’s Great Race: “Eppie’s Great Race, also known as “The Great Race” and “The World’s Oldest Triathlon” and the “No-Swim Triathlon”, features a 5.82-mile run, 12.5-mile bike and 6.35-mile paddle held along the scenic American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento, California.” The paddling part is down-river, and requires a kayak or canoe. Linky.
Check out Slow, Fat Triathlete. It’s a good book for someone starting out. Also, some great online resources, particularly trinewbies.com
Swimming is by far the most difficult one to get right, and technique can matter since there is a lot of wasted energy in thrashing around. I would look into a Masters Club in your area and get a little coaching, then practice.
I just checked and my library network has that book, so I’ve requested a copy.
I also discovered that my local Y is having a triathlon geared for first-timers at the beginning of May (distances are a little shorter than the standard sprint), so I’m going to see if the Y aquatics program has some sort of coaching program in place.
What are the distances? I usually think of a “sprint” triathlon as having a swimming leg of 1/2 mile or less. The swimming part is the often the hardest because of the chaos. Hang back or to the side to avoid that. I’m a good swimmer, but it still takes me at least 5 minutes to get into a comfortable rhythm in a race. In a sprint, that’s a big chunk of the swim leg. Wet suits are a great idea, but be sure to get one that fits and is designed for swimming, not surfing.
Don’t worry about your time in the first race. Just have a goal to finish and learn what triathlons are all about. If you like it, you can work on improving your time in subsequent races.
I recommend training with both the front crawl and the breaststroke. Yes, breaststroke is a bit slower, but you can catch your breath and see where you are heading.
Get a good helmet. I switched shoes and would recommend that if you like cleats. I more than made up the time lost with more powerful biking strokes.
Also, you spend a lot more time biking and running than swimming. As my friend said to me, “just get through the swim.” If you can swim 20-25 minutes without any breaks, you are good. In my opinion.
JohnMace, it looks like both events I’m considering are similar. The local Y event is a 500-meter swim, 9-mile bike, and 2-mile run. Knowing the area, I have to think the swim portion will be indoors at the Y natatorium. The one at the end of June is .25 mile swim, 12-mile bike, and 2-mile run. Looks like that one is in a park with a lake.
InsomniaMama, I don’t ride with clips or cleats right now because my ride to work has too many stops and starts. But I have Shimano shoes that will accommodate cleats.
The good thing about the short swim is that it’s over relatively quickly. The bad thing is that it’s over relatively quickly. It’s very hard to find your rhythm in so short a period, but at least you get it over with fast. The chaos part might never actual be over. Just stay off to one side and don’t let people slap you all over the place.
As we used to say: The race starts when you get out of the water.
Almost everyone who is new to cleats falls once. It’s usually somewhere around 200 miles, when you think you know what you’re doing. When you first start, you’ll be unclipping about ¼ block before a light/stop sign. As you get better the distance will decrease. Then one day, you’ll think you have the hang of it, pull up to the light & the foot won’t come out & gravity takes over. It’s more of a “Timmmbbbeerrr” fall over than a crash & usually pride is the most damaged part of the body because it happens at very low or no speed. If you go with cleats (& I recommend it) practice a lot before the event.
Even a bike that was state of the art 35 years ago is a dog today. Heavy steel frame, probably only 5 wide-spaced gears in the back. If the hybrid is newer & has ‘slicks’ on it it may be the better option.
That sounds like a super sprint since the bike and run are extremely short.
I did my first sprint last October after doing foot races for a few years. I was brand new to both swimming and biking and only had a couple months to train. I went in thinking I just wanted to finish since it was my first. That was the worst mistake I made. I did end up finishing and set a goal of under 2 hours for the whole thing (1/4 mi open water swim, and 16mi bike and 5k run) and finished in like 1:50. Didn’t realize until after the race that I had set an embarrassingly low goal and my times were awful compared to others in my bracket. I came in last on both the swim and bike. I really don’t even tLk about the thing anymore if asked. I had no idea what to expect and had set my goal so low it kind of ruined the sense of accomplishment for me.
If you want to do one just to finish find an Olympic distance tri. Sprint just aren’t setup for people to just finish as I learned.
You had a goal and you beat it. What’s the problem. No need to compare your time to anyone else in your first race. Just have fun, and if you get serious later, there’s plenty of time to push yourself.
