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 Post subject: Triathlons
PostPosted: Sat January 09, 2016 2:50 pm 
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Future Drummer
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Anyone on here into doing triathlons that could offer some helpful advice for 2016?

I just did my first last year (age 36), a sprint distance, and I'm looking to do at least 2 this year. I'm also planning on doing 2 half marathons which is also something I'm relatively new at (just started running for the first time in 2013).

So far these things seem to be my biggest challenges:
- Finding the time for training on top of work and family responsibilities (part of the reason why a half ironman is probably out of the question for me, that seems like way too much time away from home)
- Finding places to practice open water swimming (swimming is definitely the biggest challenge so far, it also doesn't help that I'm allergic to wetsuits!)
- Knowing when I'm injured and need to back off my training program and when I'm just dealing with some minor nagging thing that will go away if I keep pushing forward (for the record, I have always chosen the 2nd option for good or bad)
- Cash! Damn, this can be an expensive hobby. I need to find a way to cut corners. (It doesn't help that I just dropped $250 for Binaural on vinyl. That was set aside for my entry fees this year.)

The 3rd item on this list is probably the biggest ongoing issue for me that affects not just training for a tri but also my long-distance running goals and my home workouts (p90x, insanity, asylum). I swear there are parts of my body that I never knew existed before I started doing this stuff.

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 Post subject: Re: Triathlons
PostPosted: Sat January 09, 2016 4:15 pm 
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Misplaced My Sponge
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-- DUMP THE CROSSFIT STUFF! It's not needed for your Tri goals, will lead to injury and is generally pretty pointless beyond "looking good". You'd be way better off adding some speedwork to your running or swimming or just doing some circuit weight training.
-- You don't need an expensive bike. I bought a $400 Bikes Direct bike, then slapped aerobars on them and paid for a $59 tune-up at my LBS. It's was actually lighter than my friends $4,000 bike with $2,000 (each) wheels that he rented for the day. My feeling is unless you're an elite dude who's looking to go to Kona for IM or can win your age group, you shouldn't be buying a $4,000 bike unless you can REALLY afford to and biking is part of your lifestyle (i.e. you commute to work everyday or something). Yes, you'll be the "Bike Direct Dude", but who the fuck cares?
-- Doing an open water swim was my biggest challenge as well. I ended up just doing two for my IM training. The biggest need for an open water swim is really "sighting". So once every couple of weeks I'd go to my gym's big swim/family pool and just do laps following the perimeter of the pool practicing my sighting.
-- Dealing with Injuries is alway a concern. My general philosophy is to train through most kinds of muscle soreness. You're not going to do any real "damage" to yourself if you train through IT band issues or plantar fasciitis. I mean, they hurt like hell, yes, but... Joint, bone and back issues are another concern. And rule No. 1 for every athlete/weekend warrior should be, NEVER FUCK WITH YOUR KNEES!
-- Try to make your schedule consistent with your family and friends. My family knows I'll be gone when they wake up on Saturday and Sunday and that I'll generally be back by 10. My wife just assumes that I run everyday now. In the summer I get up early and run in the morning (I live in AZ) and in the winter I either run at work (we have a treadmill and I have a couple of routes mapped) or right after work. They know if I'm not home by 4:30, then I'm running and will be home at 6.


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 Post subject: Re: Triathlons
PostPosted: Sat January 09, 2016 4:45 pm 
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Future Drummer
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Wow, this is some great stuff man. You sound like you're already a couple steps ahead of where I'm trying to get to.

I definitely here you on the "CROSSFIT STUFF". I'm pretty much done after my current round of Asylum 2. Since I've already done P90x 1 thru 3, and then Insanity and Asylum Vol. 1, I wanted to finish the cycle by completing Asylum Vol. 2. But I don't plan on doing these insane "one hour every night of the week" workout programs anymore after this one. Most of my injuries have been due to over-training, mixing an intensive home workout program with a half-marathon training program. And although I love how I look and feel after I complete one of these, I'm just not sure it's worth it anymore. I'm still looking for that go-to, less intensive workout that I can mix in with my triathlon training to keep my muscle mass from fading into non-existence.

The bike suggestion is a surprising idea. I just assumed I would have to start saving big bucks for my next bike. I've been eyeing up a $1200 Fuji Gran Fondo at my local bike shop. A few years ago I bought a GT flat bar road bike for $800. It's been a great commuting bike for work. That's what I used for my first triathlon. Going in, I knew that I didn't have the proper bike but I didn't really care. I figured it would get the job. It certainly got the job done and I was very happy with my bike splits but I was working twice as hard as everyone else around me and by the time I stepped off my bike every single muscle in both legs cramped up big time. That was the worst 3 miles I've ever had to run. I won't make that same mistake again. I'll definitely look into the Bikes Direct thing.

Thanks for the ideas!

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 Post subject: Re: Triathlons
PostPosted: Tue January 12, 2016 4:48 pm 
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So t2b, I'm just curious... what type of bike did you get? I've never heard of some of the stuff on bikes direct, like gravity or windsor, etc.

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theplatypus wrote:
A solo is when the guitar goes twiddly diddly


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 Post subject: Re: Triathlons
PostPosted: Wed January 13, 2016 1:33 am 
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Misplaced My Sponge
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I did my first half IM on a $79 Schwinn road bike from Walmart (mostly because people told me I'd be crazy to do so). Then did my second half IM on an aluminum Motobecane with a carbon fork. This appears to be about the 2016 equivalent. I was set to do a full IM, but ended up doing a 24-hour run instead after being called up from a waiting list.

I haven't done a tri since.


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 Post subject: Re: Triathlons
PostPosted: Wed March 16, 2016 2:19 pm 
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I'm gonna sign up for 2 sprint triathlons this year.
TriRock Sprint in June (Fairmount Park/Philly) and the Steelman in August (Nockamixon State Park/Quakertown, PA)

Anyone else planning on doing a tri this year?

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theplatypus wrote:
A solo is when the guitar goes twiddly diddly


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