Were you a spazz in your first tri?

[emsumm]

I want to sign up for the Bigfoot tri in Lake Geneva.
My bike will probably be a hybrid.
I've never done one.
I have yet to get a wetsuit
I have no real tri gear

Can I do it anyway? I swim masters 3 times per week, I run about 20 miles x week, and bike/spin maybe 30.

[kams]

Ha, yes, omg I was a freakshow!

I was still scared to clip in to my pedals on a hill, so I RAN my bike up the hill and then mounted at the top. And I was really quite sure I wouldn't finish. It was a reverse sprint and I was ready to be done after the run. I had just bought a tri kit, but it was the first time I wore it and I chafed a ton (body glide, what?). I'm sure I had a wealth of other rookie mistakes that I have blocked out out of sheer embarrassment.

For a sprint, you will likely be totally fine without a wetsuit. Unless it is icy water, it will take more time to get it off than it will save you in the water. And a hybrid is perfectly fine! Tri shorts over a swimsuit is a great option. I would really recommend a pair of tri shorts, but people have done them in running shorts and lived to tell the tale. And, you always have to have a first, so that point of yours does not count .

[coconutbug]

Just do it!! You will be fine with what you have. I've seen plenty of people race without wetsuits and ride mountain bikes or hybrids. And I'm kind of a spazz at all tris, not just my first.

[sadlebred]

Do it! You will be fine!

[Deleted]

You'll do fine! Have fun. I was a total spazz for the first. And second. AND THIRD.

Signed, Spazz

[joenali]

I had a hybrid, no wetsuit, I did have a one piece tri suit. Just do it, you'll learn a long the way how to get better!

[emsumm]

YAY! Thanks, you guys.
It's not a sprint. Does this make it a worse idea?
Lolol.
My h is willing to make a weekend of it and probably won't laugh at me (too hard). Plus, I live in chicago, so I won't know anyone!

[Susie]

Spazz? Probably. I did it on a road bike, but didn't have the snazzy looking tri kit going on. I did it in a swimsuit + tri shorts. Fortunately it was a super sprint, so I couldn't look too silly or be too uncomfortable doing anything for too long.

Is this an Oly tri that you're doing first? It's not insane not to do a sprint first, but I'd sure prefer it. There is a lot of gear to test out for a tri (not just test out, but test under actual race type conditions) and the top that feels fine dry, might chafe like crazy when you try to run in it still wet from the swim. Little stuff like that. Plus with an Oly you have to think a little bit about nutrition which is a whole element that you can more or less leave alone in a sprint. And, the mechanical disadvantage of a hybrid bike will be tougher the longer you go. An Oly will take 3 hours or so, so as long as you're prepared to deal with whatever unexpected things come up for that long, I've known people to do crazier things. Like my friend's H, who is doing his first tri this summer - a HIM!

If I had an Oly that I had my heart set on doing in my first tri season, I would sign up for it, but I'd try to find a sprint that's before that date just to work out the kinks once on a smaller scale.

[joenali]

I met a dude during ironman on the run. We were talking about how his IM was his first triathlon. Let's just say he was not doing well. Poor guy. I'm not sure if he made it to the finish or not.

[emsumm]

Susie, I'm sure I could fit in a sprint in the spring to try it out. That's a really good idea. I've done one sprint but it was sorta fake, like at my gym and backwards and in the pool, treadmill, spin bike, etc.
What about my mileage per sport? What do you guys think? What should I increase (please don't say running!)

[woowoo]

Feb 4, 2014 22:23:00 GMT -5 emsumm said:

I'm sure I could fit in a sprint in the spring to try it out. 

Emsumm, I'm doing the Galena, IL Triathlon on May 17th.  It's a spring, but a slightly longer sprint (I think the run is 4.2 miles).  The only kicker is that the lake will most likely be COLD.  You might want to get a wetsuit by then?  Or at least borrow one, and make sure you practice in it a few times, even if it's in the pool. 

There is also a Dualthlon (run, bike, run) that my husband is doing.  That might be a good alternative too!

And I've done three Triathlons and I was a MESS (as in….crazy bitch) before each one.  Something about the stress just gets to me, until I get started.  Then I'm in a zone and as happy as can be.  My poor husband has to deal with me beforehand though, and it's not pretty. 

Let yourself get a little nervous and use it to fuel you!  

[trigal]

Feb 4, 2014 20:59:04 GMT -5 emsumm said:

My bike will probably be a hybrid.
I've never done one.
I have yet to get a wetsuit
I have no real tri gear

This describes my first tri. Except I was on a P.O.S. mountain bike.

[trigal]

Feb 4, 2014 22:23:00 GMT -5 emsumm said:

Susie, I'm sure I could fit in a sprint in the spring to try it out. That's a really good idea. I've done one sprint but it was sorta fake, like at my gym and backwards and in the pool, treadmill, spin bike, etc.
What about my mileage per sport? What do you guys think? What should I increase (please don't say running!)

If you want to do an Oly, then you should get on the bike more. For a sprint, you're fine. You don't need to increase your running, but you may need to rearrange the frequency. Get the miles in on the bike. You want to go into the run with your tank at least half full. That comes from smart cycling training.

[Deleted]

Your current training is fine for a sprint, but more biking is needed for an oly. 

And, to answer your original question, yes, I was a spazz in my first. 

I didn't have a tri suit, so I just wore some tight shorts and a sports bra and then added a shirt after the swim. I forgot to put my shirt on before the helmet, so I ended up having to wrangle my shirt over my helmet. I used a road bike with mountain bike pedals (actually, I did this for two entire seasons) but I saw hybrid and mountain bikes there.

My first was a try-a-tri distance, which was perfect. 500m swim, 10 ish mile bike, 3 ish mile run. Nice short course to test out the actual process of a tri.

[CallingAllAngels]

I was a spazz in my first (and only so far), but I also did a super-sprint aimed toward first-timers.

[emsumm]

Thanks for the encouragement :-)
Ok, so more on the bike. I can do that. Except...it's frigid and snowy here. Is the spin bike ok?

[trigal]

Feb 5, 2014 9:18:35 GMT -5 emsumm said:

Thanks for the encouragement :-)
Ok, so more on the bike. I can do that. Except...it's frigid and snowy here. Is the spin bike ok?

Yes, but don't just spin the legs. Do a workout. Spin classes are okay too.

If you stick with the sport and buy a road bike, then you'll want a trainer for riding indoors. But we can cross that bridge much later!

[So_Fetch]

You can totally do it!! During my first tri I forgot to grab my goggles before headingnto the swim. Went back for them and then realized I had also forgotten my cap. I was a mess.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[beachygal]

Well, no more of a spazz than my 2nd. Ha!

We all have to start somewhere, right? My first tri (a sprint) was on a hybrid, on the first 90 degree day of the year. I was dying, but I did it! All of my bike training was on a spin bike. I now have a road bike, and we got a trainer for Christmas. I think the thing with tris is you just do an upgrade here, and an upgrade there. I really think the only things you need are a swimsuit, goggles, a bike and helmet, and running shoes. I mean--you don't even need a swim cap...they'll give you one there to designate which swim wave you're in. The other things will come when you're ready for them!

[emilyj]

I had no idea what I was doing in my first tri. I forgot to fill up my water bottles, so when I went to drink on the bike, nada. I also had a guy crash in to me when I was at the bike dismount, and we ended up in pile on the ground.

I agree with adding more bike hours, but I think you'll be fine!

[katinthehat]

Are you comfortable swimming in open water? I think that's what everyone struggles with the most.

The rest of the stuff, you've got. Just throw in a few bike/run brick workouts and you'll be good.

[emsumm]

Feb 5, 2014 16:13:48 GMT -5 katinthehat said:

Are you comfortable swimming in open water? I think that's what everyone struggles with the most.

The rest of the stuff, you've got. Just throw in a few bike/run brick workouts and you'll be good.

I feel like I'm missing something, but that part is ok with me. Of course, I'll I've done is swim in a lake and play in the ocean, but it feels ok? Lol. Spazz.

[emsumm]

Also, I added an extra bike workout today. Just 7 miles, but it's something, right?

[finallykrisb]

I was a spazz pretty much the entire first tri season. We shall see if that holds true for this season as well.