triathlon

[lsuguy1]

i want to run one this september. it's swim 1/2 mile, bike 20 and run 3.1. i only have a 10m pool and it would take 90 laps to equal the distance. any tips on how i could get good swimming exercise? is this a good one for a beginner.

also what kind of shorts and shirts does everyone wear besides the special triclothes or whatever? and will a mountain bike be good enough for now?

[dandjdad]

Beginnertriathlete.com is an excellent resource to answer all of your triathlon questions. I'd highly recommend checking it out.

In response to your questions:

1. To paraphrase the former Sec. of Defense, you do the best you can with what you're given. If a 10 meter pool is all you have access to, use it. Again, on BT.com, there sould be training plans/tips conducive to working out in a smaller pool.
2. What you're doing is a sprint tri, and is a perfect starting point for a beginner.
3. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable working out in. I did my first duathlon in gym shorts and a cotton T-shirt. Problem is, a duathlon doesn't have a swim, so that's where the clothing question may get a bit dicey. I know there's several posts on BT.com for appropriate attire. (I'm assuming that, since this is your first one, you probably won't want to invest a lot of $$$ in tri-specific clothing, until you're sure it's going to be something you want to do again. BT.com should be able to direct you to pretty good deals.)
4. A mountain bike should be fine. In most of the du's and tri's I've seen, there's a varied level of fitness amongst the competitors and cost of equipment. Don't be afraid or nervous...everybody else there had a starting point as well.

But again, there's multiple tri specific websites, and BT.com is amongst the best. There's also loads of books on the market. Good luck!

[lsuguy1]

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cm...p?articleid=30

thinking about using that. i am going to work out this summer monday, tuesday, thursday and friday at 6 in the morn so i figured i could work out and then do my triathlon training. the race is sep 7 so i would just do the first 3 months. thoughts?

[dandjdad]

Originally Posted by lsuguy1

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cm...p?articleid=30

thinking about using that. i am going to work out this summer monday, tuesday, thursday and friday at 6 in the morn so i figured i could work out and then do my triathlon training. the race is sep 7 so i would just do the first 3 months. thoughts?

If you already have a good base level of fitness, I'd actually do the LAST three months. Reason being is that most of these plans are designed to build up towards race day. You'll notice that the last couple weeks are a "taper" (laying off/scaling back a bit); this is incorporated to keep you somewhat fresh come race day.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "work out", but keep in mind that the mindset among most triathletes is that weight training isn't as essential to triathlon performance as swim/bike/run training. I say that only because on the plan you've chosen, you will be working out upwards of 8+ hours/week. If time becomes an issue and something has to give, I bet most tri athletes/coaches would eliminate the weights in favor of the s/b/r.

That being said, unless you do triathlons for a living, I find it extremlely difficult to complete a plan to the letter. Life has a tendency to get in the way too much. I'd use your plan as a guideline; try to follow it as closely as possible, but if you miss a training session, don't beat yourself up too much. If you only get a weight training session in on a training day, but don't get a s/b/r in, just be sure to get a s/b/r in during your next training session. The training leading up to a tri is such a huge part of the battle, so have fun with it.

[lsuguy1]

i already have to work out for basketball so like heavy workouts.