Me + a few questions
128
Member
363 days
Quincyceltic posted 32 weeks ago.
Craigslist for the bike. That is where I got my Fuji road bike. Got a few add-ons through craigslist also and it is a decent setup to start out on. Probally invested 400-500 for the bike,pedals,shoes,aerobars, and a new seat. Good luck
769
Member
1678 days
Tamara posted 32 weeks ago.
+1 to Craigslist. You may also want to visit your local bike shops and see if they still have any last season's entry-level models that they are trying to unload. My college-age cousin did just these two things and found a decent bike for ~$500.
As for the lifting, you're on the right track with the higher reps/lower weight. But, unless you need to continue to lift as part of rehab for your leg (so sorry about that, btw), most triathletes end up staying out of the gym during the season. you need all your time to swim, bike and run. Other than core work, save the weight lifting for the winter months. Note that not everyone subscribes to this theory, but one thing to consider. And if you do want to lift year round, I certainly wouldn't do it for more than an hour 1-2 days/wk. Make each session full-body. Don't worry about the cardio aspects of weightlifting. Again, that's what swim, bike and run are for.
Good luck and welcome.
138
Member
393 days
dscf23 posted 32 weeks ago.
I only need a frame, since my road frame is fine, I wanted a true tri frame. But that is hard to find. Especially on a TIGHT budget. 76 deg at least.
If anyone knows where this magic can be found. 52-54cm tri frame, alluminum is ok.
Thanks
Daniel
Daniel
718
Member
677 days
TonisTri posted 32 weeks ago.
Welcome to Trifuel!
+1 on Craig's list for the bike. Also, there's absolutely no shame in doing your first sprint tri on an old mountain bike. Plenty of people do it. That gives you a chance to see if you really like it before you sink any money into your new hobby. The down side it, you will not get an accurate reflection of the finish time you are capable of since all the serious folks will have road or tri bikes.
Feel free to ask all your questions here. It's a friendly group. Good luck this season!
That which does not kill me makes me faster...
61
Member
305 days
amphibops posted 32 weeks ago.
I did my first triathlon on a mountain bike. Go for it.
The Triathlete's Training Bible has a nice section on weight lifting for triathlons. I don't follow it 100%, but it was a good primer on what to do. I only lift weights during the winter season, mostly because I need to focus on my bike during the spring and summer. I can tell you that I lifted weights with my legs for the first time this past winter, and there is a noticeable difference in my power on the bike. I just did leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses for three months. Now that spring is here, I stopped lifting to focus more on actually biking.
Tamara had a good point on core workouts. They can provide much more race performance than upper body muscle. Your core muscles are used in every motion during triathlon, so that's where your highest bang for buck is outside of actually swimming/biking/running.
I bulked up a bit on my upper body this past winter lifting weights (supersets, like you mentioned). Ten years ago I would have loved it, but right now I would rather have a bit less upper body mass because this 5-8 pounds of extra weight up top slows me down on the run. But my wife likes it. What to do?!?!
37
Member
653 days
jbinkc posted 32 weeks ago.
Nice I ran the 400 hurdles as my main race in college, and while it is a big change from sprinting to endurance, the int. hurdles are one of the hardest races to run, so some of the pain you get used to enduring will carry over to make it easier for you to handle a little extra push in a race.
52
Member
284 days
j.qualle posted 32 weeks ago.
Decathlete/polevaulter converted to triman! Craigslist for the bike! I think triathlon is a great move for ex track athletes unless you were a shot putter!
jq
44
Member
236 days
amorelli posted 32 weeks ago.
@jbinkc and j.qualle
Awesome to see some other extrackies on here. Coming from a hurdling background, the thought of just plain old running for the rest of my life seemed restricting, and I figure with tris the younger I start the better in terms of building a base in sports I've never done before. Unfortunately, I lost most of the distance base I built up training intermediates (too short for the 42s) recuperating from my hamstring tear.
I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.
-Joe DiMaggio
Twitter me: http://twitter.com/anthonymorelli
8
Member
305 days
Tri438 posted 32 weeks ago.
+1 on There's nothing wrong with a clunky mountain bike for your first sprint tri. A $50 Wal-mart special is certainly a viable option for the simple reason that you wouldn't want to be parking a loaded Specialized racer around campus. From what I recall, the theft rates on a University campus are pretty high even from storage lockers. Even if it is a 24 pound no name mountain bike, you'll learn a lot about maintenance and repair as well as get stronger pushing a heavier bike.
Keep an eye out for sales at places like Performance bike, particularly last years' models. Expect to drop at least $500 or so on a quality non branded bike -- $500+ is a lot for anybody, especially a student, so you want to know exactly what you're getting -- and make sure you have a good lock (Not a weak chain) that can at least get around the frame and front wheel if you're going to lock it up on a bike rack. (I've seen a lot of front quick release tires chained to the rack without the rest of the bike.)
+1 Craigslist if you know exactly what you're looking for.
Be sure wherever you get the bike you can get a proper fit. You would rather have a beater you could ride all day than spending $500 on a bike that starts killing your back and tenders after 20 minutes.
Oh, sorry for the long rant!
Welcome aboard!
Suggested reading:
Trifuel forums
Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin
Chi Runninng by Danny Dryer
Going Long by Joe Friel
First of all, just wanted to introduce myself to everyone. I'm a freshman in college, formerly a member of the track team as a hurdler until I tore my hamstring in January, effectively ending my hurdling career. That, plus a combination of a few other problems led me to leave the team. I've always had an interest in triathlons (my ultimate goal, and I doubt I'm alone in this, being an ironman), so I decided to refocus myself and get back into training now that my leg's all healed up. So far I'm thoroughly enjoying it, even the swimming which is by far my weakest link. Luckily, a good friend just broke the school record here so I have a feeling he can teach me a thing or two.
On to my question(s)....
1) I don't have a bike right now. Well, I have a bike, but it's a junky old "mountain bike" from 6 years ago that I use to get to and from class. It's well beaten, some gears don't work, and small. So, I'm looking to invest in an actual bike, the kind I can actually train on (so far I've been using spin bikes in the gym and then hopping on an electric bike trainer after my "ride" to try and guess my pace). Any suggestions as to what avenues to follow to find a decent road bike at a starving college student price?
2) Weight training. I've never seriously trained long distance before - we'd run 3 or 4 miles before workouts to train for the intermediate hurdles, but that's not "real" distance. So I've always approached lifting from a sprinters standpoint which has me worried now that continuing in that mindset will add unnecessary mass and bulk me up, all resulting in slowing me down. Any guidelines to follow regarding weights? So far I've just lifted less frequently and done supersets to add a definite cardio component. For instance, on chest and back day, I do a set of bench followed by a short rest and then a set of chinups and treat this combination of exercises as one "Superset". I do three supersets, then move on to my next pair of exercises, always careful to involve opposing muscle groups. I'm hoping that by keeping the repetitions high, I can increase strength and endurance without too much added bulk.
Thanks!
-Anthony
I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.
-Joe DiMaggio
Twitter me: http://twitter.com/anthonymorelli