hi - Triathlon Week

triwannabe · 11-16-2003, 11:21 AM

I live in SC and am currently an endurance runner. I have decided to complete my first tri by next year. I look forward to receiving as much information that I can to help me with my goal.

I am raising a 4 year old and work fulltime. I need advice on the most time efficient way to train.

jtwhitmor · 11-16-2003, 04:48 PM

Since your and endurance runner it sounds like running won't be a problem for you. What are your abilities as far as swimming and biking? Which ever is your weakest sport is the one I would focus on maintaing your strong sports. Once you gain your confindence in each of the sports you should be fine. :)

triwannabe · 11-18-2003, 09:51 AM

I used to be a competitive swimmer some years ago. I have the skill, however need to work on building up my endurance. I have had no training in cycling. I am shopping around for a road bike now. The guy at the bike shop suggested the trek 1000. I think I should be able to train on the bike for most of the winter, due to the fact we have mild winters. The bike shop guy said that he can get me in touch with a couple of people to at least show me the ropes. I have done some work on a stationary bike.

CajunRider · 11-20-2003, 12:02 AM

Since your are raising a 4yr old & time away from your child is limited and your cycling training is your focus, I would strongly recommend getting either a mag trainer or a roller so you can do most of your riding in the house. While you still need road experience, I'd say 65-70% of your training can be done on the trainer. Here are the pros and cons between mag trainer and roller.

1)Roller has more of a road feel than mag trainer. A lot of people choose rollers for this reason. But if you are caring for a child then a mag is better since it allows you to stop very quickly and get off to take care of your child without having to worry about your balance.
2)Roller is usually more expensive.

Note: Stationary bikes are not the same as the trainer since your are not riding on the actual bike and the body position geometry can be very different between the two.

Don't know what kind of competitive swimmer you were, but if you raced mostly on short courses then you need to work on making your strokes more efficient and more importantly on your breathing to make sure you get enough oxygen. In my first few long distance ocean swims, I got tired quickly because I was breathing on every 4 th stroke. I tried breathing on every 3rd and was able to swim about 3 miles before I get tired. I now breath on every 2nd stroke and can easily swim 5 miles.