Question:

I will be participating in my first triathlon (sprint) on June 9th.  I have the chance to participate in two more for a total of three sprint tri’s in three consecutive weekends (June 16th and June 23rd).  Am I a little too optomistic?  Will I have enough time to recover from each race for the next? Is this even possible? I have been running for two years, swimming for 4 months, and biking (seriously) for a month.  I feel as though finishing a sprint tri will not be a completely consuming event because of my fitness level. Thanks in advance, Noel

Response:

Noel I think that it is an admirable goal. Are you doing this just for fun or are you planning to train and stay with triathlon for the "long haul" meaning lifestyle. I would be a bit more methodical with my approach if you are in it for the long haul. Maybe do the 1st and then the last one. What is your goal for the season? When will you be racing after that? Look at the big picture… sprints can be taxing and if you are a newbie it is better to feel your body through the recovery period for the first few races. You will not know how you recover if you are immediately gearing up for the next week and then the next.

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You should have no problem with the sprint distance.   Think of it this way, it’s only going to take a little over an hour to complete.   It’s like a short brick workout with no extreme fatigue factors.   Just be sure to pay attention to your body and look for any sign of stress injury such as Achilles, plantaris, hamstring pain etc.

Noel I think that it is an admirable goal. Are you doing this just for fun or are you planning to train and stay with triathlon for the "long haul" meaning lifestyle. I would be a bit more methodical with my approach if you are in it for the long haul. Maybe do the 1st and then the last one. What is your goal for the season? When will you be racing after that? Look at the big picture… sprints can be taxing and if you are a newbie it is better to feel your body through the recovery period for the first few races. You will not know how you recover if you are immediately gearing up for the next week and then the

next.

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Question:

Hello, Does anybody have any info on a tri at Stony Creek in Michigan?? I believe it is sometime in August. Thanks Jeff

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it is a NATS olympic distance race, info at this link http://www.usts2000.com/Information/detroit.htm enjoy Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

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Question:

hello, i have a pair of syntace aerobars and i recently added lifters to them. it raised the height about 1", and they seem to be comfortable. however, a friend of mine suggested that i take the lifters off because it might disturb the aero position that i should be in. is 1" that much of a difference? i like the comfort, but i also want to be as aero as possible. thanks for your suggestions. -warren kitahara ting "aaahhhh, sweet comfort"

Response:

Without wind tunnel testing, it is difficult if not impossible to answer your question precisely. However, from what I’ve seen I believe you can say that: 1) small differences in elbow pad height (really, the drop from saddle to handlebar) can have a substantial effect on drag. 2) there is a law of diminishing returns, i.e., as you go lower and lower and lower, drag tends to level off; and 3) a position that results in minimal or near minimal drag will NOT be comfortable. Good luck in trying to optimize your position – it isn’t easy! Andy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hello, i have a pair of syntace aerobars and i recently added lifters to them. it raised the height about 1", and they seem to be comfortable. however, a friend of mine suggested that i take the lifters off because it might disturb the aero position that i should be in. is 1" that much of a difference? i like the comfort, but i also want to be as aero as possible. thanks for your suggestions. -warren kitahara ting "aaahhhh, sweet comfort"

Response:

hello, i have a pair of syntace aerobars and i recently added lifters to them. it raised the height about 1", and they seem to be comfortable. however, a friend of mine suggested that i take the lifters off because it might disturb the aero position that i should be in. is 1" that much of a difference? i like the comfort, but i also want to be as aero as possible. thanks for your suggestions.

IMO, 1" isn’t even worth worrying about if you’re not comfortable. In fact, some of the most powerful cyclists in triathlon use a more upright position. If you have access to a Computrainer, or other testing device, you can check your output on each of the two positions for any given heartrate. Otherwise, percieved  exertion or a time trial would do nicely "aaahhhh, sweet comfort"

Which is the most important position of all! Jeff.

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Hi Warren, After reviewing the posts on this thread, I must say that I agree with the idea that a comfortable position (within reason) is one of the keys to performance. If your aero position is too uncomfortable, it gets difficult to maintain, and your aero tuck is too frequently interrupted.  There is a delicate balance here that is tough to quantify. If you’re still concerned about the height difference, you may be able to experiment with adjusting the stem height a little.  Granted, this isn’t ideal, but you should be able to test your comfort vs. aero performance in real use. For example, you could lower your stem 1/4 inch and try it that way for a few days.  Let me know what you discover! Good Luck, Sham (a.k.a. "Syntace1)

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Question:

I recently got the idea of triathlon put into my head.  I’m an experienced biker and my running and swimming are in good form, if not extremely fast. I can’t figure out how to properly train in three events without burning myself out.  Are there any good resources for this type of information? I’ve looked at a number of web pages, but haven’t found any good specifics yet. –Chris

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I am new also, and have found a lot of great information not only in this website but in Triathlete magazine which I know subscribe to.  Good luck

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I am new also, and have found a lot of great information not only in this website but in Triathlete magazine which I know subscribe to.  Good luck

Not only in WHAT website? What is the name of the book? Your post is like smelling the steak on the BBQ but not being allowed to partake  ;) –Chris

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I reserved every book in the library with "triathlon" in the title.  Lots of reading, some out-of-date but interesting data, and tons of help for getting into a training groove. Sara Livingston ’cause I’m cheap, the library’s only a mile away and they’re online

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Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race snip vicariously… Little did you know you were running with some world class lady triathletes…. From Triathlete Digest, at the San Diego Marathon & 1/2:   Julianne White-Empfield  2:54:44   Melissa Spooner               2:56:20   Liz Downing                     3:13:55 and the 1/2: Katja Schumacher  1:24:39 Chaz

I saw a couple triathlon butts-O-steal go by me early.  I bet I could have spotted the 1:24:39 had I known

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—great report unmercifully snipped— I’m a sucker for stories like this. Well done, and congrats for your tremendous 9 months. "Iron Pete" Priolo IMC’96 – 10:36:37    IMC’97 – 10:42:53 ‘98 – Gulf Coast Tri, IMC – confirmed ‘98 – Buffalo Springs Lake Tri, Blackwater Eagleman – unconfirmed

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After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits.

I’ve run this race twice and have immensely enjoyed the combination of spectacular scenery, friendly people, and perfect weather. Now that I don’t live in that area anymore, I’ll have to enjoy your experience vicariously… —

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits. I’ve run this race twice and have immensely enjoyed the combination of spectacular scenery, friendly people, and perfect weather. Now that I don’t live in that area anymore, I’ll have to enjoy your experience vicariously…

Little did you know you were running with some world class lady triathletes….  From Triathlete Digest, at the San Diego Marathon & 1/2:    Julianne White-Empfield  2:54:44    Melissa Spooner               2:56:20    Liz Downing                     3:13:55 and the 1/2: Katja Schumacher  1:24:39 Chaz

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After posting my year in review, I have received many requests to report back after my debut race.  So here goes.  I ran my first race on Sunday, the San Diego 1/2 Marathon. First, I must say that I had the time of my life.  I can NOT emphasize that enough.  After all that time running alone I was surrounded by kindred spirits. At 6:00 AM I came over the hill of El Camino Real toward the valley (I live here so I use the side roads).  As far as I could see looking west when I crossed highway 78 was a stream of headlights winding to the 5 and then south.  I had no idea.  My wife said softly "oh my god".  It is not that we did not know it would be a lot of people, I just had not imagined the logistics that would lead up to the racing. After parking and coffee we watched the early marathoners leave and it was inspiring.  So I went to get in line. I was right up front, had been there at the starting line for 30 minutes when we finally left.  I ran a bit too fast out of the gate. I had made a cheat sheet and stapled it to my waist band to check my time at the 1, 3, 6, and 12 marks to see if I was over or under my targets.  My cheat sheet had three columns, the "goal run", the "hope to run", and the "wouldn’t it be neat" run.  At one mile I was too fast.  I was even ahead of the "wouldn’t it be neat".  I knew I may be in trouble so I tried to drop a notch or two. I had no idea how many people were in the race, so I had no perspective of where I was and I never looked back.  Leaving in the front of the line left for only one experience.  Lots of folks were passing me and I was passing no one… and now I was supposed to drop it down a notch.  That was hard to do.  This went on consistently for about 3 miles… running forward and getting behind more and more people.  Was I discouraged, no!  I was amongst friends and I was having a blast trying to figure out the mind games and pace myself. Around mile 5 fewer people were passing me and those that did passed slower.  I even passed a few.  I knew I had entered my place in the pack.  At mile 6 I checked my time again.  I was still ahead of my best expectations but not so much now.  I felt good and I was able to really start to relax.  My face already hurt, literally, from smiling. And those people along the sidewalk clapping, they love to see that smile and clap harder.  We had a silent agreement, I would smile if they would clap; so we did. When I hit the 1/2 way mark I made a u-turn to the north bound side of Coast Highway.  Then I saw the sea of people behind me, and it was a sea that went a long ways.  Now I damn near broke my face with that smile.  Around mile 9, I hooked up with a few people that were running my race and "hung out".  We ran most of the rest near each other.  We made jokes about the winners already being on their second beers since they finished long ago.  Somewhere around mile 11 they got about 15 strides ahead of me. At mile 12 I checked my chart again.  I was still ahead of my best expectations and I felt good.  I started to get a side-ache so I dropped a notch again and waited; it passed.  Around 12.5 I tried to figure when I should burn whatever I had left.  I did not want to go too early.  As a result, I waited a bit too long.  I gave everything I had with about a quarter left to go.  When I can around the corner for the last 75 yards I swear I was gliding.  I felt better in that moment than I had in the last decade save my wedding day and the births of my children. I hit my stop watch at the line and was amazed.  It was not a world record, it was not a course record.  It was only my first race.  But for a guy that 9 months earlier went out one night 40 pounds over wait and only 3 months from his last cigarette to try to run a mile, it was amazing. I had made a commitment to myself that I would not tell anyone my time.  I did not want to be compared to some obscure table of runners. I wanted to make sure my feeling of success was not deflated; I would need the motivation later and it was after all only my first race.  My goal 4 months earlier was just to finish it without walking.  When asked, I would just answer that I made my goal. Now I am going to break that promise and tell you my time.  Why? three reasons.  One, my pride is stronger than anticipated so I don’t feel at risk.  Two, I learned in the last 12 weeks that runners of meeting runners that they are much more likely to compare their own results to some table then they are to compare yours.  And three, I just feel like it.  My time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 30 seconds. That experience solidifies it, I am a runner.

Response:

: just feel like it.  My time: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 30 seconds. Well done!  That’s a great time for your first half-marathon. (And, more importantly, you clearly enjoyed yourself!) You can be proud of how far you’ve come in the past 9 months. Nick

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Question:

Does anyone have any information on saddles for people who suffer from prostate problems? I have several friends who are looking for that perfect saddle for a person with prostate problems! Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks! The BikeDoc

Response:

I ordered a racing saddle made by T-gear called "Pinnacle". The nose on the saddle has been "hollowed" out, so that the crotch does not come under so much pressure. It is absolutely great. Except for the hole in the saddle’s nose, it is a perfectly normal seat. I ordered it from a mail order house in the old "Triathlon Today" magazine. I don’ know whether the current publishers of "Inside Triathlon" have any info or not, but you can try them. Good luck.

Response:

I ordered a racing saddle made by T-gear called "Pinnacle". The nose on the saddle has been "hollowed" out, so that the crotch does not come under so much pressure. It is absolutely great. Except for the hole in the saddle’s nose, it is a perfectly normal seat. I ordered it from a mail order house in the old "Triathlon Today" magazine. I don’ know whether the current publishers of "Inside Triathlon" have any info or not, but you can try them. Good luck.

I can vouch for this saddle also.  I bought one 3-4 years ago.  You could either get it in steel or titanium.  The address in the old Triathlon Today mag is long defunct.  I had tracked the company down from Michigan to Florida to ???.  They are still in business you may tri some of the tri shops around and ask about the company.  They are still called T-Gear.  In fact, I had given the address and phone number to a guy in New Zealand but have since then lost his name and address.  If anyone knows the T-Gear number I would sure like to have it again.   Thanks – Lyle

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Question:

Dear friends: I’ll be in Europe for the first half of September and am interested in possibly racing in some duathlons or triathlons, or even running or time trials.  I’ll be at conferences in the Netherlands until Sept. 1 and again on the 13-15, in England 16-19th, and will probably travel around mostly vacationing in Belgium, France, Switz., and Italy in between.  So races on the weekends of Sept. 2 and 9 would be great. Any sources of information would be greatly appreciated.  I’ve checked the standard web pages and have gotten a few things.  I’d like duathlons or tris with relatively short swims.  I’m 41 and am doing Duathlon Worlds in November and could really use more racing experience (not to mention faster run splits, more endurance, etc…). thanks John Doyle

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Dear friends: I’ll be in Europe for the first half of September and am interested in possibly racing in some duathlons or triathlons, or even running or time trials.  I’ll be at conferences in the Netherlands until Sept. 1 and again on the 13-15, in England 16-19th, and will probably travel around mostly vacationing in Belgium, France, Switz., and Italy in between.  So races on the weekends of Sept. 2 and 9 would be great. Any sources of information would be greatly appreciated.  I’ve checked the standard web pages and have gotten a few things.  I’d like duathlons or tris with relatively short swims.  I’m 41 and am doing Duathlon Worlds in November and could really use more racing experience (not to mention faster run splits, more endurance, etc…). thanks John Doyle

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Question:

Dear Runner Newsgroup: I will in the San Francisco and Bay Area at the end of July and am looking for information on any good running and/or triathlon stores in the area. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send me any information. Thank you ahead of time. Fellow Runner; Rod Szarka Edmonton, Alberta CANADA

Response:

Hoy’s on Haight St. — Ray Charbonneau    | MIT Library Systems| Everyone is entitled to my opinion.  *Disclaimer? Why?*|

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Dear Runner Newsgroup: I will in the San Francisco and Bay Area at the end of July and am looking for information on any good running and/or triathlon stores in the area. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send me any information. Thank you ahead of time.

In San Francisco proper there are the following:         * Fleet Feet (2 stores, Market St. and Chestnut St.)         * Hoy’s Sports (Haight St.)         * On the Run (Irving) In the East Bay (Oakland), your best bet is Transports on College Avenue — + Software Engineer               Premenos Corporation +

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Question:

Tricia Richter writes…. Hmmm.  All this sturm & drang about increasing TV coverage of triathlon by legalizing drafting.  Yeah, right.  …..

I called the 1-900-triathlon line for some prognostication on Mark Allen’s Psychic Triathlon Alliance and the message said that ITU is considering further modifications to the sport, to ensure easier and therefore better television coverage. First they line up a hundred or so ENDLESS POOLS ™, and right beside each is a wind trainer or a set of rollers, and beside those is a treadmill…..Modest changes to the "soul" of the sport are more than offset by the ease of coverage, ensuring that millions worldwide can now enjoy the sport from the comfort of their couches. Bruce Ackman I have seen the future and intend to hide before it sees me.

Response:

Hmmm.  All this sturm & drang about increasing TV coverage of triathlon by legalizing drafting.  Yeah, right.  Frankly, I believe the *only* way triathlon will ever get a lot of TV coverage is if some billionaire triathlete comes along who pays big $$$ to cover a race, oversees the production to see it’s done really well, and then schmoozes with the proper network bigwigs to get his creation broadcast in a "prime" sports TV slot.  If somebody could do this consistently and well for maybe 5 major races, perhaps then 10 or 12 additional couch potatoes might be convinced to switch channels from championship golf to watch triathlon instead. Come on, guys, let’s get real.  Triathlon is (and probably will always be) a fringe sport.  Somehow, I can’t see the average football/basketball/baseball/auto-racing crowd getting interested in it. And unfortunately, that crowd makes up the vast majority of the sports television audience for whom the networks gear their programming.  I seriously doubt that there is *anything* the ITU (or anyone else, for that matter) could do to make triathlon a mainstream TV star.  As someone else has already pointed out here on RST, the audience for triathlon coverage is basically *us*.  I’m not saying that *nobody* else watches tris on TV, but I’d definitely say it’s a niche sport. When you think of sports television, you can pretty much count off on your fingers the sports that get the lion’s share of coverage, and still have fingers left over.  Let’s see:  Baseball, Basketball, Football, Auto Racing, Golf, Hockey, Boxing, and Tennis (for the big tournaments, that is).  Then you’ve got bowling and fishing, ice skating and gymnastics. From this point on, the rate of coverage drops significantly (no, I haven’t done any research on this; go ahead and flame me, but this is just my perception). That’s a dozen sports that get most of the TV coverage.  How many other sports are there in the world?  Then look at ESPN.  OK, the "Total Sports Network", right?  Look at how much of their programming is devoted to those top 3 or 4 sports, and what time slots they devote to them.  Sure, they sometimes cover bike racing, field hockey, synchronized swimming, and inline skating, but how much time do they give these programs?  Half an hour usually; *maybe* a whole hour, if you’re lucky.  And what time slots do they give these sports?  1:00 am?  And how many times do they change the schedule without notice so that they can show MORE baseball/basketball/football/auto racing?  Have you ever seen coverage of a basketball game "pre-empted" or "delayed" so that they could continue their coverage of Paris-Roubaix? Ok, so I’m making a lot of generalization here, but I think you all get the point.  Basically, I don’t think triathlon will *ever* garner enough television coverage to justify mangling the sport by legalizing drafting. That’s it in a nutshell.  I think the heart of the sport is you and me, the age-groupers who are out there for fun, fitness, and the pride of accomplishment.  *WE* are the ones who matter, not some nebulous TV audience that will probably never exist.  It seems fairly clear that the majority of triathletes oppose drafting— at least, that’s the impression I’ve received here on RST.  So we should continue to argue against it. Why should we change the sport we love when we *are* the sport? Legalizing drafting makes triathlon a completely different beast, not the sport that most of us got into for its sense of individual acheivement and accomplishment. Well, I suppose this is no more than a long-winded argument against drafting.  I’m just as sick of the topic as everyone else is, but I really felt the need to blow off some steam about it.  I think the ITU is making a mistake in a misguided attempt to mainstream the sport, and it could end up doing more harm than good.   Personally, I’ll only ever do races that prohibit drafting.  How about you? Tricia — "’Be a terrific innovation if you could get your mind to stretch a little further than the next wise crack." "Y’know, I tried that once, but it didn’t snap back into place." —Katharine Hepburn & Eve Arden in "Stage Door" (1937)    

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        Let’s see… when we swim all you can see is a bunch of caps and arms flailing around in the distance. Oh, or you could use scuba gear and get some shots from underneath people. How long before that gets boring? 30 secs?         Then we hop on the bike and spread all over the road. Anybody notice that sometimes even the famous Tour de France (TIOOYK) doesn’t make a lot of sense on TV, unless they are really good at using graphics to tell you where everybody is?         Same goes for the run leg.         Actually, I think that transitions would be the most fun to watch. Who hasn’t had "the transition from hell" (I know I’ve had a few…         In short, triathlon is not a tv sport. Too tough to follow the action, which, I suppose, translates into a tough production job. (If you don’t buy this, just stick around until NBC broadcasts the Ironman job again… There *will* be plenty of posts telling NBC how to do a better job…)         I suppose that one can make the point that draft-legal races make for better viewing is because the camera can focus on the action: the pack. But that makes for lousy races from the competitors’ point of view. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll give up the tv coverage anyday.         As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think that triathlons can get any better status of tv coverage than marathons. I.e.: The big races get some coverage and that’s it. We were heading in that direction once Hawaii became a regular feature, but at least in the US we seem to have stalled there. Part of the problem is that there aren’t any other races with the panache that Hawaii has.         Oh, and one side point: I’m not sure where that leaves me, but I *love* auto races… horia neamtu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -[snip] Come on, guys, let’s get real.  Triathlon is (and probably will always be) a fringe sport.  Somehow, I can’t see the average football/basketball/baseball/auto-racing crowd getting interested in it. And unfortunately, that crowd makes up the vast majority of the sports television audience for whom the networks gear their programming.  I seriously doubt that there is *anything* the ITU (or anyone else, for that matter) could do to make triathlon a mainstream TV star.  As someone else has already pointed out here on RST, the audience for triathlon coverage is basically *us*.  I’m not saying that *nobody* else watches tris on TV, but I’d definitely say it’s a niche sport. [snip] Tricia — "’Be a terrific innovation if you could get your mind to stretch a little further than the next wise crack." "Y’know, I tried that once, but it didn’t snap back into place." —Katharine Hepburn & Eve Arden in "Stage Door" (1937)    

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Question:

The phone numbers are:  604-490-8787 Voice  604-490-9788 FAX And you’d better hurry, they have a 1,200 participant limit for the August 27th event…at last I heard, it is nearly full. See you there… AJ Calabrese

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I want to do the Candian Ironman this year but don’t have an entry form. Does any body know the number to call?

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I want to do the Candian Ironman this year but don’t have an entry form. Does any body know the number to call?

        rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/rec.sport.triathlon/ —

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