Ah, so triathlons are the thing! - Triathlon Week

bruplex · 03-14-2006, 08:37 AM

Hello All,

I was reading your forums and the more I scoped it out, the more I felt like this would be a good community to join! The posters were friendly, there weren't any obvious egos going out of their way to belittle newbies, and heck, I can use all the help I can get!

The main reason for my interest is the fact I recently got to compete in my first triathlon totally by chance. I work for an outdoors magazine (Hooked on the Outdoors) and through work I was assigned to cover the Nevis Triathlon (tough life, huh?) The downside: they told me I was going 5 days before the race! Youch! I'm coming from Colorado so my winter has been all about snowboarding and watching episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I gave the term "off the couch" the most literal interpretation!

So down I went, to the warm Caribbean. This triathlon was unique in that it doesn't get a lot of people (hopefully I can change that with my stories) so there was a darn good chance I would finish dead last. I'm a good athlete, I do a lot of mountaineering/riding/etc. but I hadn't been doing squat for a few months since I was recovering from a laterally slipped disk in my back.

The good news was I finished top ten in my division! The bad news is there was only 10 people in said division! (though actually, I did finish a little better than the records show: I completed the sprint (750/20k/5k) in 1:35 minutes, but my time was listed at 1:41--I called the race director and he said he would fix it. I told him not to bother, since I was happy just to finish!) Anyhoo---I came in 9th, and I was darn happy with it (16/24 of all the sprint people--not bad for a guy who hadn't trained and whose skin was a horrifying shade of clown white)

And thus, the triathlon bug has bitten. It sure was fun but I can see it being even more fun if I was in the proper shape (plus I'm a lousy swimmer). I'm 29, about to turn 30, so I'd like to use tris as a way to stay in shape as the days go by-- I can already see the new-found ill-effects of Twinkees, the delicious snack cakes that once powered me for months at a time.

I hope to give the 5430 Sprint Tri a go this summer, and I plan to be in much better shape! Until then, it's time to get out there and train! Nice meeting you all!

James

sfricks · 03-14-2006, 02:28 PM

Welcome on James. Nevis is a cool little island (right next door to me). Get to St Kitts? They have a great International Distance Tri there in May or June. When you write, don't forget to mention St. Croix (The Tri Island). <---PLUG We have 5 events here a year including our 70.3 race which is the ONLY Ironman World Championship qualifier a) in the Caribbean and b) Half Iron Distance. Why you ask? Our 1000 athlete strong event is closer to a 3/4 Ironman. You should consider visiting us here May 7th for that event. There's a Sprint distance that happens at the same time. Visit [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

Welcome to the WONDERFUL world of triathlon!

Spike10 · 03-15-2006, 07:12 AM

Howdy James, I'm all signed up for the 5430 series and can't wait, welcome to the site from a fellow Coloradan. You have done the hardest part of the training allready (for most people anyway) getting off of the couch. I hope to see you at the races.
Spike.

Carpe Diem · 03-16-2006, 01:35 PM

Greetings bruplex,
Congratulations on your decision to tri...There are many dividends to this sport. The ones that I enjoy most are the inspiration and support that I recieve from those athletes that have gone before and shared their experence and conquests. I also believe that to really get right with yourself you need to work on the whole person (Body, Mind & Spirit) the challange of triathlon is a good choice for me. The focus and training it takes to excell in this sport can be terrific. The cross training offers you the opportunity to interact with many other athletes that are working hard and finding personal growth. So the very best to you. Keep posting and sharing in the experience.