Reigster now for free to join this or any of the thousands of ongoing discussions - Connect with thousands of athletes, post questions, share thoughts, find a training buddy,access triathlon training programs, marathon training programs and more!
Discussion: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river
Subject: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Marisa S. Written on: 2006-01-03 12:52:58 Message: I have swum competitively my entire life, including D III in college, and run 5-6 miles on a daily basis...aiming to do the Womens Sprint Triathlon in Philly this summer. I'm not a biker but have been trying to do 8-10 miles on a stationary bike at the gym in addition to running. I would love any advice from anyone regarding when/what kind of bike to purchase, as well as how to start training on a real bike without killing myself. Am I overly ambitious in wanting to do this race in July? I'd appreciate any advice!...Also...I train in the pool but live in Boston and am not about to jump in the Charles...any advice on preparing for 500 m in a river?
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-01-03 14:31:06 Message: The most important thing about a bike is the fit. First find a shop that has a profesional bicycle fitter that also specializes in Triathlon racers. I would recomend the Cervelo P2SL as it can be set up to fit amost anyone and has a great reputation, it will set you back about $2500.oo. If you can't afford that just get a good lightweight used road bike for your first race to see if you really like Triathlon then save your pennys. The next most important thing is how you spin the pedals it seems so simple ( and it is ) but there is a right way and many ineficient ways to pedal a bike. There is a lot of good info on line about technic and learning it is as important as the workouts you will do. Judging from the amount of training you are already doing you should be able to comfortably finish a sprint race right now and be pretty competitive by July Welcome to triathlon I hope you enjoy it.
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Andy M. Written on: 2006-01-03 19:05:37 Message: I agree with Ronald. Buy the most bike you budget will allow but make sure it fits. Depending on how much you spend on a bike, you can expect to pay around $100 just for the time to get the bike dialed in. As the price of the bike goes up, the cost of adjustment usualy goes down. The fitting process can take around an hour. There is likely a local triathlon club in your area, join if you can and when the weather breaks, go on the group rides they offer. There will most likely be a group leader/coach who will help you on your technique. It sounds like you have the swim and run down and at your level of fitness you will do fine. I recommend doing as many bike-run brick (back to backwith little time inbetween) as you can. This will prepare you for the feeling you will experience in your race. As far as the swim, open water or in your case a swim in the Charles is different than in a pool. Train in the pool and lift you head every 10 strokes to check your bearing since they forgot to paint lines on the bottom of the river. Another thing to remember that triathlon swimming can be a contact sport. either be ready for it if you are competitive or hang back if you are not. The most important advice I can give is to have fun. Andy
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Diana R. Written on: 2006-01-03 20:59:24 Message: River swimming in early morning can give you sun reflecting off the water into your eyes. Wear goggles with blue or smoke colored lenses, not clear. It is better to put on your goggles first and then swim cap over your head strap to lessen the chance of a competitor's ripping your head strap off in the melee, and your losing goggles in the brown water. If you own a wetsuit, even a shortjohn, start river swimming when the water temperature rises to 67 degrees. You will discover you don't want to put your face in the water until you have swum 150 feet or so of breaststroke, which gets your body acclimated to the cold. I have been swimming half a mile in 67 degree water for 4 days now, and I am more accustomed to it. Bianchi makes a really nice road racing bike for about $1800. Bike shops say Bianchi and Trek are easy to work on, easy to repair, and that helps after you fall and break your derailleur. You will probably want tires which carry 120 to 150 pounds pressure for racing. Get Kevlar tires, as they resist wire, broken glass, and sharp stones, prolonging the life of your tubes. I like to compete in nylon sports bra and spandex bike shorts. That outfit dries fast and does not slow you down on the swim. You don't have to add a bike jersey unless really cool or windy. Saves time on transition. Enjoy, and take a HammerGel packet in your shorts to consume partway thru your bike race. Makes the run a lot easier. Biker Momma
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: bob g. Written on: 2006-01-04 10:17:14 Message: I would like to throw in Jamis bikes. The Comet is now made as a Tri-specific bike with shimano 105 gearing. According to their web MSRP is 1375 USD. My first few bikes were from Jamis and I have always been impressed with what the put into their bikes for the dollars spent.
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Kariss B. Written on: 2006-01-04 22:41:18 Message: I just bought a Cannondale R500. Not the most technically awesome bike, but I still consider myself a beginner (3 sprints) and it's MUCH better for triathlon than my mountain bike!! =o) I love my bike, though, and I'm in the process of getting it dialed in to fit me. I recommend finding a bike shop that rents road or triathlon bikes and try one for a weekend to see how you like it. Don't blow a bunch of money until you're sure you love triathlon. Look around and see what people have out there to rent or buy secondhand so you can decide how much you love this sport. Getting some good open water swims in before your race will also help...it's MUCH different than lap after lap in a pool. There's nowhere to do flip-turns! =o) If you're going to do open water swims, a good wetsuit is a good idea, but again don't blow $50000 unless your budget can handle it. One good rule of thumb for training is to increase weekly milage by 10% every week, and scale back every 4th week to your milage in week 1 of that cycle (ex. week 1 = 10 mi, 2= 11 mi., 3= 12 mi, 4= 10 mi, 5=11 mi, 6= 12 mi, 7=13 mi., 8= 11 mi, etc...). That will help you prevent injuries. Staying on the bike will also help you prevent injuries. =o) Good luck, and welcome to triathlon! Just a little warning...it can be habit forming!
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Marisa S. Written on: 2006-01-05 12:13:23 Message: Thanks everyone for all of the advice! I looked at one of last years Trek 1200 at a discounted price and am thinking about that one...but I live in Boston and am not sure what to do as far as "learning" to bike given that its winter...same problem with the open water swimming. I'm relying on the stationary bike and pool for now...if anyone has suggestions about the swimming, i.e. things to do before a river is warm enough to get in...i'd appreciate it!
Subject: RE: sprint triathlon biking and swimming in a river By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-01-05 14:21:47 Message: Spinning the pedals properly is not difficult but like the swimming stroke, once you know how you must practice it always so that on race day it is automatic. Starting from the top, push your foot forward over the top, on the downward push do not push all the way down instead try to slide your foot toward the rear as you near the bottom of the stroke. This was best described to me as (to pretend that you are trying to scrape mud off of the bottom of your shoe). The object is to create a smooth round pedal stroke. You can practice this on an indoor trainer, mine is named Ascent and I paid about $85.oo for it. Pool training for the swim is all you need for now, the two things that are tricky in a triathlon swim is negotiating through the other swimmers and spoting the bouys. Both will require that you raise your head fairly often so you should practice this and do a little head up swimmiing to develop thoes mucles. I expect that you will get ahead of the pack since you are a good swimmer like myself so you might use the sighting technique that I use. This is it, staring with my breathing on the right I turn face down as normal but then continue to turn my head to the left and up so that as the stroke continues I can scan my eyes just above the water level as I roll back to the right without disturbing the rest of my form much. Sometimes I will do this up to three strokes in a row if there is a little chop or glare. Pick a small difficult to see object in your pool area to try to focus on as you practice this. I hope this helps you. You will hear a lot of things from lots of people take what works for you and discard the rest. Have fun! Ron
Back to Discussion Index Triathlon Training  Triathlon Gear  Marathon Training  Health and Fitness