From the category archives:

Triathlon

OC_Swimmer’s First Sprint Triathlon Race Report!

by Kcurly on June 28, 2010

Girl, thanks so much for sending me this story. I am so proud and inspired by your race story! You look great out there, I just love it!

The night before: I hadn’t slept well in days. I kept stressing about the bike and run portion. Would I have enough energy? Could I complete 16 miles on the bike over steep hills? Did I drink enough water to still hydrated?

Race Day: My friend and I left my house at 5:30am. Thanks to all the books and articles I had read, I over-packed (3 beach towels, ice-packs, shoes, duct tape, scissors…all kinds of random stuff). When we got the transition area we went straight in and starting setting up…only to find out we had to use assigned spots based on our pre-submitted swim times. I had to move my “luggage” and bike…get my number and re-setup.

The Swim: Indoor swim. I love (LOVE) to swim. I was not nervous and tried to help people around me stay calm. We had to race up and down each lane of the pool for a total of 16 laps or 400 yards. Thought I would swim faster, but I couldn’t get used to having guys swimming around, over, next to me. Also, the water was warm (yuck). My time = 10:20 minutes.

T1: It was hard to run to the transition area…especially over the pebbles in the parking lot. My main focus in T1 was dry my feet enough to get socks on without falling over. I opted not to mess with extra clothing and planned to drink sometime on the bike course. I had taken a Claritin the night before but I still expected to have a runny nose while biking, so I stuffed a cotton hankie into my suit. T1 = 1:55 minutes

Bike: The hills…some many hills. My longest ride on the road before this event was 10 miles. 16 miles was going to be a challenge. I tried to take it one mile at a time and just enjoy the ride, breeze, view, and challenge. Many people passed me on this leg. Most were super supportive, cheering me on the hills. I tried (when I had the air) to cheer back. Luckily, I had driven around the course a few weeks beforehand and had a mental image of the obstacles ahead to pace my expectations. They had a great set of volunteers on the course and the police were great at holding traffic for most of the race. I finished faster than my goal of 1:30 hours (actual = 1:25:57). My avg pace was 11.2 miles per hour (there was moments on the hills my pace was barely over 3 miles per hour).

T2: Legs like jello. Still made it through pretty fast. Depressing to see most of the bikes were back on the racks. I kept my bike gloves on, took off my helmet, put on a shirt, drank some warm (yuck) crystal light water and was ready to go. T2 time = 1:14 minutes

Run: …more like walk. My legs felt like jello after the bike. My right shoe insert wouldn’t lie flat, so I took it out and held it for the whole 3.1 miles. I walked the first mile. More people walking and jogging passed me. Finally got some energy back on mile 2, so I decided to start jogging and talking to people. One guy had a great strategy of walking 2 mailboxes, jogging 2. Worked great. Normally, my pace is 20 minutes a mile….that day it was 15.39 minutes per mile!!!

Post race: I was so happy to finish. So happy to finish under the 3 hour cut off. So happy my body didn’t ‘break’. All smiles.
Total race time = 2:28 hours

Comments: I need to practice how to ride my bike and drink water…the act of reaching for and returning the water bottle is still a bit shaky. I don’t think I will ever be a runner…I am okay with that.
Gear Used: Danskin 1-piece (last XXL in stock). Enell sports bra. Wicking fabric shirt and socks. Used the same running shoes for both the bike and run (many people have fancy bike shoes). My Trek 1.1 road bike (it doesn’t have a third front gear…you will wished you paid the extra $100 for them on steep hills). Helmet, bike gloves, bike sunglasses, swim cap and goggles

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Triathlon Terrors: The Road Bike

by Kcurly on March 15, 2010

A road bike

Before training for a triathlon, my experiences with bicycles included a red tricycle and a bike with a pink banana seat, streamers on the handle bars, and basket with flowers on it.

Needless to say, when I picked up my new road bike from the bike shop, I was a little overwhelmed. I’d borrowed my husband’s SUV to transport it since I didn’t have a bike rack at the time. I rolled the bike out to the vehicle only discover that there was no kick stand.

How in the world was I supposed to open the back hatch door? So, being the genius that I am, decided to open the hatch with one hand and hold the bike with the other, with me sandwiched in between. (Laying it on the ground never occured to me) Of course, as the door opened I landed on top of the bike as we both toppled over.

This was how I received my first bike injury, a scant five minutes after paying for it: A lovely gash on my right leg. (You can laugh, it’s ok!)

I figured this would be the worst of things… until I tried to ride the bike.

Oh wait, first I should mention that it stayed out in the garage for few days with me eyeing it warily. It just looked intimidating. It was shiny, sleek and new, and the tires were incredibly skinny. I finally hopped on it one day to do a test drive down the street. I discovered a few things:

  • When people use the phrase “it’s just like riding a bike” to describe an instance where you remember how to do something that you haven’t done in awhile, it’s actually a good comparison. I was able to balance well, even though it’d been years since I’d been on a real bike.
  • The seat hurt! You can read more about that here.
  • That sucker went fast! Somewhere a long the way to adulthood, I apparently became a big wuss because going down hill nearly had me wetting my pants.
  • The handlebars felt a lot lower than my last bike and the stationary bikes I’d ridden. It almost felt as if I were perched atop the bike precariously.
  • I had no idea how to switch gears…really, none at all!
  • I was scared to brake. I’d heard stories about people accidentally using only the front brake and going end over front on their bikes. I knew if that happened, it would be the end of my biking career.
  • Being next to traffic made me nervous. Even now, I like to ride on bike trails instead of in the street.

Yes, I had indeed learned that road bikes,or racing bikes, are quite different. From wikipedia:

The drop handlebars are positioned lower than the saddle in order to put the rider in a more aerodynamic posture. The front and back wheels are close together so the bicycle has quick handling. The derailleur gear ratios are closely-spaced so that the rider can pedal at his or her optimum cadence. Other racing bicycles, especially those used in time trialling prioritize aerodynamics over comfort.

So speed over comfort is the point.

I still have problems with the speed part, but everything else has fallen into place for me. Probably the hardest thing was learning to switch gears. That first time my chain actually jumped off the track. Occasionally I get confused and I will still hear the “clink,clink,clink” of my bike’s protests.

I guess I’m writing this post because all winter I’ve been riding my bike on my trainer, nice and safe inside my house. It’s time to get back out  on the trails again. But that wuss in me is still  a little jittery about it.

Riding with other people was also a bit nerve wracking for me. Once I got over the thought of other folks crashing into me or vice versa, I could actually enjoy the company. Now, during my triathlon, I readily admit to cringing as the faster people went zooming past me on their fancy-1000s-of-dollars-souped-up-bikes. I hope this is something that I can become more comfortable with over time.

For the other newbies out there afraid of bike riding, here’s my advice: Just keep riding. It gets better and actually (dare I say it?) fun.

But wear your helmet!

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Fit Nation Triathlon Training

by Kcurly on January 14, 2010

Here is an inspiring video about some people training to do a triathlon with Dr Gupta for the Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge.

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Tri Suits

by Kcurly on January 13, 2010

Danskin Trisuit

One of the more frightening things about preparing for my triathlon was the thought of what I would wear.

When doing a triathlon, most people take pains to make sure each transition (the time in between each leg of the race)is as easy as possible. Scatterbrain that I am, I knew that I was going to have to keep my wardrobe changes simple, especially since I was new to all of this. A trisuit seemed to be the best solution.

So, what is a trisuit, you might be asking. Trisuits:

  • are made of material that you can swim and sweat in
  • have small amount of padding in the crouch for biking (not as much as biking shorts)
  • resemble a unitard in that they are a one piece outfit that covers from the torso to some of the thigh area
  • are sleeveless
  • usually zip up the front or back
  • is not the same as a wetsuit
  • usually have rubber or silicone grips at the bottom leg holes to keep them in place
  • can cost from 50-300 dollars depending

I also liked them because it would give me more coverage than a bathing suit. I considered that extra coverage vital to my modesty…and to the life of the photographer who would be lurking about snapping pictures as I emerged from the water( in my mind’s eye looking like Godzilla coming to attack the city.)

I actually bought three trisuits before I settled on one that I liked. I chose the Danskin Women’s Triathlon Trisuit for the following reasons:

  • It was inexpensive. Most of the ones I looked at ran over 100 dollars. This one was 80 bucks on the Danskin website, but I found it on ebay (brand new) for 50.
  • It offered more coverage (seeing a trend here?) in the back area. Yes, I was trying to hide my back fat. It also hid my sports bra better.
  • It had little mesh pockets on the side. Very helpful for keeping my energy gels in during the run.
  • It was black. I know there are a lot of other black trisuits out there, but this one being black was  big plus for me. I tried on an electric blue one and felt like a retired superhero. Color makes a BIG difference.

The only complaint I have about this is that the zipper has come down twice during some practice swims. I think I may have traumatized a poor little boy at the pool. You best believe that I was one paranoid triathlete the whole time I was swimming and double checked that sucker before I was fully out of the water.

Ok, I lied, I have one more complaint. It does not dry as fast as the other trisuits I have. Alright that’s it.

Things to keep in mind:

  • I have yet to find a trisuit with good bra support, so I always had to wear a sports bra underneath.
  • It’s gonna be a snug fit. It’s supposed to keep you streamlined in the water and give you decent compression while you run and bike.
  • Always do a few trial runs in your new trisuit before the race to make sure it will work for you.
  • If you are used to wearing biking shorts, it may take you some time to get used to the smaller amount of padding in a trisuit.

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Post image for In the land of six packs

In the land of six packs

by Kcurly on January 6, 2010

One of my fears related to participating in a sporting event surrounds my  body. Or at least my body in relation to other people.

It’s hard enough being around people with a six pack, toned arms and behinds you can bounce a quarter off of at work. Now I have to be around those ripped people while they wear skin tight clothes. And I…? I am also in skin tight clothes. Without being totally ripped.

It’s intimidating and it’s scary.

Questions and insecurities are liable to go through your brain. Will I be laughed at? Will they be whispering behind my back? Will someone point to me and say how they hope they never end up like me? Or, even worse,” What in the world is she doing here?”

Now, at most of these events (5ks, etc) there are not all perfect people. Once you actually go to one, you will see all shapes of people, from totally ripped to slightly pudgy to very overweight. In prior events such as 5ks and 10ks, some of these very in shape people have been the main ones to offer support and cheers of encouragement as I finish my race, usually way after they have finished.

Also, folks are usually just too worried about themselves and setting their own personal record to be noticing every ounce of fat on your body. I’m not saying there might not be someone, somewhere who will be a major a-hole, but that’s for any situation, true? I would say that for every mean spirited person out there, there are ten more upbeat and uplifting people who can sometimes give you a little pick-me-up.

So, I slap on my spandex and get out there, trying not to worry about what’s jiggling, overlapping, or bunched up. It’s about trying to push myself and make myself better physically. I won’t get there without motivation…and a lot of time, those fit, toned ladies offer a lot of motivation because one day I hope to be fit and toned myself.

A common excuse for not working out at a gym is that people are embarrassed of being in front of others in workout clothes while overweight. Ya’ll forget them, workout for you. And, as I said earlier, most of them do not even care about you or your fat. I have also been offered a lot of encouragement at the gym by fit people.

I figure I can sit at home, safe and sound in front of the TV in my loose clothes, or I can be out there working out with my less-than-perfect body.

Which will you do?

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My first triathlon-race report

by Kcurly on December 29, 2009

Here’s my race report! For those of you who don’t know, a triathlon consists of a swim, bike, and run. All of the courses looped back to the transition area, where our bikes and equipment are housed. We came back to the transition area after each part. I hope you enjoy my story! Thanks again for all the support!!

Pre-Race

My friend and I arrived the the racing grounds at 6:30 am. We’d been out to the site the day before so we could find it easily on the day of the race. It’s beautiful land, way out in the country with a lake and winding, rolling hills.

The weather had been stormy the day before and there was a weather forecast of rain and possible thunderstorms the day of the race. The race officials let it be known that cancellation was possible if things got too bad. My two main fears were swimming in tumultuous water and riding a bike on wet roads, both of which I’d rarely or never done. But as the sun started to come up, I could see that it was just very overcast and not storming at all. It drizzled off and on while we were setting up our equipment. The temperature stayed around 71 degrees.

DSC05003
Transition Area
Lake
Lake

I can be a pretty forgetful person, so I was waiting to see what vital, important thing I would forget for this event. Fortunately, I didn’t leave out a single thing that I needed. My transition area still needs some work though. Here’s a picture of it.

I won’t go into all of the boring pre-race stuff.  Pretty much we just got the necessary items we needed, listened to announcements, and met some of the other participants. I was pretty excited/nervous.

The Swim

So this next picture will be a good game of “Find Kcurly”. It’s not hard to spot me, even though you can’t see my face.   I was so excited to see this picture in the local newspaper where the triathlon was held. Even though they didn’t get my face, it’s still a nice shot.

Lining up for the swim

Lining up for the swim

I don’t know if I’d mentioned this, but my friend and I had been agonizing over whether or not to wear wetsuits for the race. In my neck of the woods, it can be 50 or 80 degrees in October, so we weren’t sure. I went ahead and rented one just in case. I was a little miffed when they announced that the water temperature was 82 (too high to wear wet suits) and the wetsuits aid in buoyancy. But I got over it when I felt how nice the water was.

I had my hair in twists and did not apply conditioner since I was swimming in fresh water. They’d given us swim caps to wear and mine was tight but fit ok.

We lined up by our numbers and they staggered our entry into the water by 3 seconds. I had a moment before entering the water where everything just felt surreal. I kept praying “Please God, just let me make it out of the water” and trying to remind myself that yes, I can swim.

Heading into the water...thats me in the blackHeading into the water…that’s me in the black

The swim was crazy. There were so many people zooming past me. I’m very slow and don’t try to be fast. I was just trying to make it, so I took it easy.

I could feel the occasional arm and leg brushing up against me. I also had one panicky moment where someone’s foot made contact with my head and inhaled a ton of water in surprise. I started choking it up, trying to stay calm and catch my breath. I heard one of the lifeguards (they were in boats along the path) ask if I was ok. I nodded and got back to swimming.

I won’t lie: I just wanted this part to be over, especially after my scare. I had to keep reminding myself that I hadn’t’ put all this time and effort into this just to fail. The really hard part about swimming  out there was having to stop and look up to make sure I wasn’t off course, which I was frequently.  I was so danged tired and so happy to get to shore that I just took my time going to the transition area. Everyone else around me was running out of the water, but screw that!

Emerging from the water...finally!
Emerging from the water…finally!

Bike

Unfortunately, the photographer, bless her little heart, failed to get my picture while biking. So…this pisses me off just a little bit, but what can I do about it? Nothing I guess.Here’s a pictures of the country side.

I was one of the last people to get out of the water, so I just took my time at the transition area knowing I wasn’t going to be breaking any records today anyway. Once I had everything on and took a big gulp of sports drink and an energy gel, I got on my bike. I started out ok and even passed a few people until I got to the really hard hills. I despise hills.

I’m not one to cuss much, but I’d have made a sailor proud if one had been around. At the top of the really bad hills, I prayed a little, thanking the powers that be for letting me make it over that one and to please, please let there be no more hills. No one heard me!

It was a very challenging course, I even heard some of the more experienced people complaining about it.  I did have the occasional cow and horse to look at and try to take my mind off things. It rained a few times off and on, so my clothes never had a chance to dry off from the swim. My socks and shoes also got soaking wet. I didn’t have any accidents or hydroplane, so I was happy for that. However, it was probably the most miserable 16.5 miles I have ever biked. But how does something so miserable make me feel so good?

Run, Kcurly, Run!

I got back to the transition area, got rid of my helmet and gloves, drank a few more gulps of sports drink and headed out. I started out walking because I was so incredibly tired. I’d passed the runners on my way back to the transition area on my bike, so I knew the running course was hilly as well. I decided to just walk the whole thing initially. There were a few other people around that were walking too, so that made me feel better about my decision.

After walking for about 5 minutes, I felt pretty good and started jogging. There were hills, but nothing worse than I usually ran. I ended up passing a few people and then got lost on the course, going the wrong way.  I have no idea how much time it cost me, but there were other people also lost and well figured out the way back. My total time for the 3.1 mile run ended up being 44 minutes, but considering I got lost and started out walking, I don’t think that’s bad at all.

I recieved so many positive yells and comments as I running into the finish line. It was wonderful and my friends were waiting at the finish line for me with big smiles on their faces.

Kcurly crossing the finish line
Kcurly crossing the finish line!

Over all, my time was about 2 hours and 4o minutes. Lord, what an ordeal and what fun! It was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life but so worth it. I can not tell you the sense of accomplishment I feel and I’m looking forward to the next one, possibly in the spring. I really want to improve on my times and my body.

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Triathlon Training Expense

by Kcurly on December 23, 2009

I was recently asked how much I spent on preparing for my triathlon.

Here’s a general breakdown of what it cost:

Swim Lessons: ($60)

I took 3 total and then just practiced on my own. I’d had lessons a few years back but never really was able to swim well. I did have some of the rudimentary things down so I didn’t need as many lessons. I still couldn’t really swim after the 3 lessons, but just started making myself practice and eventually got the hang of it.  I consider this an investment that would reap the benefits over a lifetime, so I didn’t mind spending the money.

Swim Equipment:

I already had a swim suit, but no goggles ($5) or headgear. I went through two swim caps before I realized that I needed one with a chin strap ($15). I also needed earplugs because I get dizzy if water gets in my ear. The ones at the stores were the silicone ones and didn’t work as well as ones I found online ($13 with shipping). I used the ones below, but there are others that also work well.

I also got some other minor things like big towels, flip flops to wear at the pool side.

Running:
If you already run, all you need there is your running shoes. I had 2 pair since I run as well, so nothing spent there. However, if you are just starting to run, you probably need to get fitted for running shoes. I did not do this when I started running and sprained my ankle because I land of my feet oddly (I walk on the outsides of my feet). I got fitted for shoes and have not had any trouble since. They run about $70-110, sometimes more.

Now, some of you lucky people just buy shoes out of the store and never have trouble. However, if you start having any knee pain or other trouble, please get fitted.

You may also want to buy an outfit to run in. I know that my thighs rub together so I have to have pants or shorts that don’t ride up when I run. Compression shorts are great for that. The ones I have are pictured below. But just run in what you’re comfortable in.

A good sports bra is a must, especially if you are well endowed. TheEnell and Moving Comfort series have great support.

Bike:
Ok, here’s where it can get expensive. You generally want a road bike when racing, but you can use a mountain bike. The road bikes can get extremely pricey, up into the 1000s of dollars. I was browsing around and finally a guy at one of the bike shops suggested a bike online that was a good starter bike, but not as expensive as most of the ones I’d seen.

It’s on a site called bikesdirect.com and it’s called the Dawes Lightning 1000 ($389). I bought it online (shipping was free) and took it to the guy at the bike shop who put it together for $40. Most bike stores will assemble bikes. You can also browse craigslist and bike shops for used bikes. However, it’s very important that the bike fits you because having the wrong size can cause injury. The bike that I got had height recommendations, so I used that. The guy at the bike shop had me sit on it and adjusted it before he sent me home with it.

It’s also perfectly acceptable to use your mountain bike that you have in your garage. I would just research to make sure that you’re properly fitted to the bike and also take it in to make sure your breaks are tightened, etc. for safety.

Other biking necessities:

  • Helmet- $40
  • Biking Gloves- $10 These keep you from hurting your hands if you fall. They also help with chafing
  • Cargo bag- $15 To hold all of your necessities including flat tire equipment
  • Flat tire stuff (tubing, pump) $30-40 I still don’t know how to change a flat tire, but I have the general idea. The guy at the bike shop said that he gets one every 600 miles. I guess I’m not there yet!
  • Water bottle, water bottle holder- $15-20
  • bike computer– $20 To track mileage
  • Biking shorts – (on sale) $20 Have extra padding, because your behind will be hurting until you get used to it
  • Shades– $25 – Keeps the bugs and sun out of your eyes

Race Day Related Items:

  • Triathlon registration fee- $50 (I registered early so it was cheaper)
    One day USAT membership- $10
    Sports drinks– $10
    Energy gels–$20 for a whole box. I’ve got plenty left
    Transition Bag $30 to put all of your items
    Hotel room $60 I split it with my friend
    Tri-suit $30 …I found this one on ebay, they normally run a lot more than that. They are neat though because they have padding in the crotch for the bike and you can swim in it. It’s good for not having to change clothes in between each leg of the race.
  • However, my friend just wore her bathing suit and then put on biking shorts after the swim. That’s perfectly fine. You have to find what works for you.
    Wet suit–this is not at all necessary and not even allowed if the water is above a certain temperature. They can run 300 dollars, so I rented one for $50 and didn’t even end up using it because the water was too warm.
  • Everything listed above is not necessary, but just my own experience. And there are a few things not listed that I bought that didn’t work out. I consider this all a one time investment into my health and fitness. I also plan on doing more triathlons, so it’s all money well spent.

There are plenty of websites to get information from (see this post) but here are some good books that I read:

A lot of people also like this one:

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