Question:

Sounds like a good idea provided it is acurate and easy to read. Few questions will it be  able to take an impact, will it be waterproof (say to 100m) and will you be able to see it at night. Steve

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

would love to talk to you about this. Im a retailer/runner who’s has a THANG for gadgets. Larry Kencombsrunningstore.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sounds like a good idea provided it is acurate and easy to read. Few questions will it be  able to take an impact, will it be waterproof (say to 100m) and will you be able to see it at night. Steve This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

guccione24, I thought it would be neat to have a watch that could measure my HR without the chest band. I ended up getting one with the chest band because the one at Radio Shack took too long to get a reading and had all sorts of rules about you have to hold your finger this way without moving it etc etc. I got the Polar Protrainer NV and it looks like it can do things my old IronMan never thought of.  Like rest breaks on repeats. Thanks,         Roger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks for the reply Roger. What did you like the most about the watch? The fact that it had a built in heart rate monitor or the fact that it counted calories during your workout? Or the fact that it was simple? Any feedback is good. Guccione24 guccione, I looked at one of the watches that they have a Radio Shack that is supposed to measure your pulse from your finger and I couldn’t get it to work quite right. You would think that it should be able to use one of the veins in your wrist and have a special wrist strap but it doesn’t. I’ve seen a lot of people using HR monitors lately and if it’ll keep me from going out too fast on runs, I just might get one myself.  In other words, I’m looking for something simple that can give readings quicker than that one at Radio Shack. Thanks,         Roger This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy. Before you buy.

Response:

Is that the only kind of sports watch that you would buy? Any feedback on the watch that I described if it didnt have that many lap counts. Would you consider buying? What do you like about the watch? Guccione24 This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". I need a stopwatch with 20-100 lap memory as well.

Before you buy.

Response:

Hiya guccione, Your somehow managing to sputter.  Don’t know what causes it but, when you sputter with slightly different messages it seems intentional. I guess you must reaaally want some feedback on this.  How about shipping me one for FREE, I’ll give you some feedback then! tee hee;-) good luck, Jennifer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is that the only kind of sports watch that you would buy? Any feedback on the watch that I described if it didnt have that many lap counts. Would you consider buying? What do you like about the watch? Guccione24 This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". I need a stopwatch with 20-100 lap memory as well. Before you buy.

Response:

Thanks for the feedback Dave. I really appreciate it. What feature about the watch did you like the most? The heart rate monitor? The calorie counter? The price? If it was a higher price, would you trust it more? Any feedback is appreciative Guccione24 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My HRM works great–and I don’t consider the chest strap "annoying". I would have serious doubts that the watch you describe would be accurate…but if it IS accurate, I would consider buying it.  $30 sounds too cheap, actually. dave This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Before you buy.

Response:

Does that mean that you would not be interested in the watch? If it worked just like I said it did, would you consider buying it? I am just looking for feedback. Guccione24 Anything that measures from the wrist etc, is a pulse monitor and not a heart rate monitor. All the proper HRM’s have a transmitter belt which in the case of the Polar is comfortable and you do not know you are wearing it once you start. I heard that the pulse monitors pick up the blood flow – which can occasionally mean a double beat as the blood goes one way and then back. (or something like that!). Chris.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Before you buy.

Response:

Yes it really works. It has built in heart rate monitor right in the watch. It senses the pulses of blood flow through you finger and from that calculates heart rate. And if you know your heart rate, age, weight, sex (all of which you program when you first get the watch), and time exercised, the watch can calculate the calories you burn while you work out. Got any feedback on the product. Do you like it? What do you like about it? Any opinions would be appreciated. Guccione24 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does it actually work?  And how? -jeff This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Before you buy.

Response:

I havnt posted on that yet, but I will, thanks. Do you you have any feedback on the watch? Do you like it? What do you like the most? The Calorie counting? Heartrate monitor? Price? Would you consider buying it? Any feedback would be appreciative. Guccione24 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Guccione, $30 is cheap if it really works. Currently to do what you describe requires that I use a Timex I-Control watch ($33) and a Polar Beat HRM ($60). Have you posted on rec.sport.triathlon ? Those "guys" are really into gear and gadgets. Rock. Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

Before you buy.

Response:

This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch".

I need a stopwatch with 20-100 lap memory as well.

Response:

Thanks for the reply Roger. What did you like the most about the watch? The fact that it had a built in heart rate monitor or the fact that it counted calories during your workout? Or the fact that it was simple? Any feedback is good.  Guccione24 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – guccione, I looked at one of the watches that they have a Radio Shack that is supposed to measure your pulse from your finger and I couldn’t get it to work quite right. You would think that it should be able to use one of the veins in your wrist and have a special wrist strap but it doesn’t. I’ve seen a lot of people using HR monitors lately and if it’ll keep me from going out too fast on runs, I just might get one myself.  In other words, I’m looking for something simple that can give readings quicker than that one at Radio Shack. Thanks,         Roger

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One- Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Before you buy.

Response:

Anything that measures from the wrist etc, is a pulse monitor and not a heart rate monitor. All the proper HRM’s have a transmitter belt which in the case of the Polar is comfortable and you do not know you are wearing it once you start. I heard that the pulse monitors pick up the blood flow – which can occasionally mean a double beat as the blood goes one way and then back. (or something like that!). Chris. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

Guccione, $30 is cheap if it really works. Currently to do what you describe requires that I use a Timex I-Control watch ($33) and a Polar Beat HRM ($60). Have you posted on rec.sport.triathlon ? Those "guys" are really into gear and gadgets. Rock. Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

Response:

My HRM works great–and I don’t consider the chest strap "annoying".  I would have serious doubts that the watch you describe would be accurate…but if it IS accurate, I would consider buying it.  $30 sounds too cheap, actually. dave

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

Does it actually work?  And how? -jeff

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

guccione, I looked at one of the watches that they have a Radio Shack that is supposed to measure your pulse from your finger and I couldn’t get it to work quite right. You would think that it should be able to use one of the veins in your wrist and have a special wrist strap but it doesn’t. I’ve seen a lot of people using HR monitors lately and if it’ll keep me from going out too fast on runs, I just might get one myself.  In other words, I’m looking for something simple that can give readings quicker than that one at Radio Shack. Thanks,         Roger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is my first time to post a message, so please bear with me. I am working on developing a new sports fitness watch called the "One-Touch Fitness Watch". It is a complete sports fitness watch that has a heart rate monitor built right into the watch so you do not need one of those annoying cheststaps. You can check your heart rate at any point while working out and the watch will tell you when your are not exercising in your target heart rate zone. It also can tell you how many calories you burned during a workout based on your weight, age, and gender. I was just hoping to get some feedback on it. Do you like it or not? Would you be willing to spend $30 for a watch that did all this? Any comments? Thanks alot Guccione24 Before you buy.

Response:

Question:

FYI I’m not a race director, but a volunteer responsible for making sure the run portion of the race is "staffed" with enough volunteers. Typically, there are close to 500 volunteers needed to support the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon each year. Mark Warren – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you are going to be in the San Francisco Bay area over Memorial weekend (live in the Bay or just visiting for the weekend) we could use you as a volunteer for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on Saturday, May 27. This is one of the best known triathlons in the US and will be nationally televised (who knows, maybe you can get your face on TV!). You even get a free Alcatraz T-shirt. Hi folks. I’m not sure if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here, but is this message from a commercial race director asking people to volunteer their own time to help him/her make a profit? Here in Scotland, we don’t really have big commercial races, instead the race calendar is filled with club races which are (rightly) marshaled by the local club members. I personally always volunteer at my club’s races, and rely on other club members to do so at the events I race. However, I would have reservations about helping a RD line their own pockets for the promise of a free T-shirt, and who knows, maybe getting my face on TV. Of course, if Alcatraz is run by a not-for-profit organization by triathletes, for triathletes then just ignore everything I’ve written above, and I’ll crawl back under my stone… Cheers, Andrew —                              o                    _o       <|                  _ <_      _  ____ –^o- __  (_)/(_) __   /  ______ |                                     | | Andrew Turnbull                     | | Stirling Triathlon Club             | | http://www.stirling-tri.demon.co.uk |

Response:

Andrew, In Southern California, nearly all of the races are run by sports promotion companies.  It’s appears to be like that all over the U.S.A.  I believe that some of the well supported races have as many volunteers as they have participants. The discussions in this ng regarding high entry fees in the U.S. generally conclude that race director profit is probably a small component of the cost and that we are lucky to have the races at all.  If the race directors had to pay the large numbers of volunteers even minimum wage, it would either raise costs considerably or the level of support would drop.  With that in mind, we frequently volunteer just to ensure that we still have races to compete in at prices that don’t drive us further into poverty. I agree with you that it is a very curious situation.  But we like races with lots of extras and support so, for the time being, we’re willing to make the sacrifices. Larry – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi folks. I’m not sure if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here, but is this message from a commercial race director asking people to volunteer their own time to help him/her make a profit? snip However, I would have reservations about helping a RD line their own pockets for the promise of a free T-shirt, and who knows, maybe getting my face on TV. Of course, if Alcatraz is run by a not-for-profit organization by triathletes, for triathletes then just ignore everything I’ve written above, and I’ll crawl back under my stone… Cheers, Andrew

Response:

If you are going to be in the San Francisco Bay area over Memorial weekend (live in the Bay or just visiting for the weekend) we could use you as a volunteer for the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on Saturday, May 27. This is one of the best known triathlons in the US and will be nationally televised (who knows, maybe you can get your face on TV!). You even get a free Alcatraz T-shirt.

Hi folks. I’m not sure if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here, but is this message from a commercial race director asking people to volunteer their own time to help him/her make a profit? Here in Scotland, we don’t really have big commercial races, instead the race calendar is filled with club races which are (rightly) marshaled by the local club members. I personally always volunteer at my club’s races, and rely on other club members to do so at the events I race. However, I would have reservations about helping a RD line their own pockets for the promise of a free T-shirt, and who knows, maybe getting my face on TV. Of course, if Alcatraz is run by a not-for-profit organization by triathletes, for triathletes then just ignore everything I’ve written above, and I’ll crawl back under my stone… Cheers, Andrew —                              o                    _o       <|                  _ <_      _  ____ –^o- __  (_)/(_) __   /  ______ |                                     | | Andrew Turnbull                     | | Stirling Triathlon Club             | | http://www.stirling-tri.demon.co.uk |

Response:

Question:

It was about 32

Question:

this is something I’ve wanted for awhile. I’ve already scooped up Mark’s and JT’s recipes – anybody else? If we get enough, I’ll run ‘em through my MasterCook program to generate nutritional info and create an electronic cookbook for the list (assuming I get permission from the recipe owners to do so . . .) TriathRon

Response:

Y’know, it may sound a little sick, but when I heard the story of how Scott M became ‘The Terminator’, it gave me a flashback to the days of my youth in OK, where my cousin used to regularly serve fried squirrel . . . maybe I could develop a new nutrition plan . . . Seriously, that was good eatin’, even if you did have to watch out for shot that she might’ve missed when cleaning the animal . . .

SHOT?!?  A REAL hillbilly scrapes his squirrels off the road.  A triathlete chases them down and kills them with his hands.  Those of us opposed to leash laws let our dogs chase ‘em down.  And if you’re any kind of marksman, you can get squirrels with an air rifle or a .22. Anyway, I can probably get my hands on a pretty good recipe for suirrel paprikash.

Response:

This is not precisely what you asked, but…. two words for ya. "Slow Cooker". Whatever recipe you use with it, here’s the deal: 1) Wake up in morning 2) Throw everything in the slow cooker and turn it on 3) Return at dinnertime 4) Serve and eat. Not bad, eh?  This seems to work especially well with chicken (which, if you have frozen chicken pieces, you do not even need to defrost before dumping it all in the cooker– just let it cook for 10 hours instead of 8, say). I get recipes for it from two sources: 1) The cookbook that came with it 2) The Sunset cookbook of slow cooker recipes. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Take a look at my site’s food section: http://www.jt10000.com/food/ I’m sure there are some things you haven’t eaten before.  And it all tastes good! JT

Response:

My favorite is chilled tuna fish and whole wheat rotini pasta (chilled) mixed with balsamic (or red wine) vinegar and olive oil spread on a bed of fresh mesclun/baby salad greens and sliced red bell peppers (I sometimes add some peas or artichoke hearts).  Sprinkle with drops from a fresh lemon wedge. MMM!  Not too heavy, but packs a punch nonetheless. Cindy J

Response:

this is something I’ve wanted for awhile. I’ve already scooped up Mark’s and JT’s recipes – anybody else? If we get enough, I’ll run ‘em through my MasterCook program to generate nutritional info and create an electronic cookbook for the list (assuming I get permission from the recipe owners to do so . . .) TriathRon

TriathRon, I have always been wanting to know how you get nutritional info on a meal? do you just add everything up? Thanks Albert

Response:

"wheres lantana florida?" Get a map, Find the southern most tip of Lake Okeechobee, head due east until you hit the Atlantic Ocean and there you are. Steve Adams www.triathalator.com

Response:

I have always been wanting to know how you get nutritional info on a meal? do you just add everything up?

As Ron mentioned, he has a commercial software program to do that. There are a number of them on the market that do this.

Response:

I have always been wanting to know how you get nutritional info on a meal? do you just add everything up? As Ron mentioned, he has a commercial software program to do that. There are a number of them on the market that do this.

That’s correct – but yes, I believe you could just add up the numbers for the ingredients. It wouldn’t be exact, because some of it would be lost to the air or to the pan, but I think the numbers would be close enough for the core nutrients, ie. carbs, protein, fat. Vitamins would probably be a different kettlafish entirely, as some would be destroyed by the cooking process, some would be leached out, etc. Any nutritionists care to chime in on this one?

Response:

"Gach is best when served live"                    Unnamed Klingon officer.

as is Sashimi Al Kormesser

Response:

My favorite is chilled tuna fish and whole wheat rotini pasta (chilled) mixed with balsamic (or red wine) vinegar and olive oil spread on a bed of fresh mesclun/baby salad greens and sliced red bell peppers (I sometimes add some peas or artichoke hearts).  Sprinkle with drops from a fresh lemon wedge. MMM!  Not too heavy, but packs a punch nonetheless. Cindy J

now this one sounds very tasty and easy to make…lunch tomorrow for sure.. Al Kormesser

Response:

Since we’ve just had a breakfast thread, I thought a dinner thread might be good. Since I’ve begun training for my first tri this coming summer, I’ve found that I have little time to prepare and eat dinner.  Consequently, I’ve ended up getting a little bored with the repetetion of eating the same (albeit nutritious) meal 5 nights a week. Anybody want to share their favourite, easy to prepare, good-for-you recipes/meal idea? Both single meals and bulk meals (like chili) that can be frozen would be great! Cheers, Troy —

Response:

Anybody want to share their favourite, easy to prepare, good-for-you recipes/meal idea?

Well, one and a half out of three ain’t bad….  Below is a link for my own hot wings recipe (though be warned, a guy who names his company after the world’s hottest pepper can’t be trusted too far in the kitchen). They’re not exactly (or even approximately) healthy, but follow a 40-30-30 kind of balance.  40% fat, 30 percent protein, 30% fat. …. but worth every calorie (and you’ll have all spring to recover). The good news is that for those with delicate constitutions, these will "chase out" anything else you’ve eaten recently, not allowing it to do much damage. http://www.cynetfl.com/habanero/hotwings.html Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.cynetfl.com/habanero/ Home of the $695 ti frame

Response:

Take a look at my site’s food section: http://www.jt10000.com/food/ I’m sure there are some things you haven’t eaten before.  And it all tastes good! JT

Response:

Since we’ve just had a breakfast thread, I thought a dinner thread might be good.

"Gach is best when served live"                         Unnamed Klingon officer.

Response:

wheres lantana florida?  John Hansen  Sarasota Fl.

Response:

Since we’ve just had a breakfast thread, I thought a dinner thread might be good. "Gach is best when served live" Unnamed Klingon officer.

Y’know, it may sound a little sick, but when I heard the story of how Scott M became ‘The Terminator’, it gave me a flashback to the days of my youth in OK, where my cousin used to regularly serve fried squirrel . . . maybe I could develop a new nutrition plan . . . Seriously, that was good eatin’, even if you did have to watch out for shot that she might’ve missed when cleaning the animal . . . TriathRon ‘99% urbanite, 1% hillbilly’ Gilcreast

Response:

Question:

I agree with all of the previous posts here. One additional fact on triathlons though: swimming is usually only 10% of the race. I know a lot of triathletes that say that if they survive the swim, they will finish. Just keep that 10% figure in mind when deciding to do a race.                           |26      | IMC’96: 10:36:37          |   Fe   |   IMCAL, IMC Y2K IMC’99: 10:45:03          |        |                  "THE BEST ELEMENT OF RACING"

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I second what Mike Schwing said here.  As far as masters practices you’ll be amazed at the level of instruction available out there see this link for example of coaches at our masters group http://www.ancientmariners.org/coach.htm One other note about wetsuits.  I would liken the feeling of swimming with a wetsuit as if you where actually sliding down a hill on your belly.  It makes even a novice swimmer very capable,  and you can rent them.  This is why in swimming only events wetsuit is often not allowed or is considered in a different category. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You’ll be fine Troy.

Response:

One more piece of advice. Don’t worry about speed, worry about efficiency. You want to cruise through the water with as little work as possible, because after you get out you’ve got the bike and the run to do. I did my first tri last year at Wildflower. I got out of the water quick (for me: about 32 mins for International distance), but I was spent. I was tired on the bike, which is my strong event, and the run was pure hell. Since then, all I worry about is getting out of the water with some energy left to burn. Mark Flynn San Jose

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I agree with everyone else – you are doing very well. Find a master’s team to train with – the coaching and camaraderie make it much better in every way. A wetsuit helps with buoyancy (a lot), but isn’t needed unless the water gets a bit cool. For tri’s you’ll want to develop the ability to hold some sustained pace for the required distance that doesn’t push you over your threshold too far, if at all. Swim the swim, build the bike, race the run – until you get better at the swim portion. Then you start racing all of it (more or less). Good Luck, Mat Mathew Luebbers About.com Guide to Swimming http://swimming.about.com bbs:  http://www.delphi.com/ab-swimming newsletter: http://swimming.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After toying with the idea for a couple of years, I’ve decided that I’m going to give triathlon a try next year.  I have a running background, nothing serious though, just some local road races.  I started in the pool at the end of Sept. completely from scratch.  I’ve had no formal swim training, and quite frankly, deep water has always given me the willies.  What I’m wondering is how well I’m progressing.  I’m doing most of my training on my own, and my swimming has been largely self taught from books (TI and some others) so I haven’t been able to get much feedback. The relevant facts: -male, 30 yrs. old -135 lbs (yes I’m that thin), 5′9" -while swimming freestyle laps at a "normal" sustainable pace, I do 100m in ~2:05-2:10 on 30 sec. rest. -timed 50m sprint is 46 sec. -timed 100m sprint is 1:40. -the longest continous distance I’ve tried to swim is 600m (it took me something like 14:00) -3-4 swims a week at 1200-1600M each. What I’m wondering is if I’m progressing sufficiently to do tri’s in the upcoming season (sprints and olympic dist.), and how I’m comparing to other beginners.  I’ve found that watching the swim team members is not a good yardstick  and that the books I have don’t have any guidelines for normal mortals. Thanks a million for any feed back.  I’ve been lurking in r.s.t. for about 2 years now, and have learned much from it. Troy

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After toying with the idea for a couple of years, I’ve decided that I’m going to give triathlon a try next year.  I have a running background, nothing serious though, just some local road races.  I started in the pool at the end of Sept. completely from scratch.  I’ve had no formal swim training, and quite frankly, deep water has always given me the willies.  What I’m wondering is how well I’m progressing.  I’m doing most of my training on my own, and my swimming has been largely self taught from books (TI and some others) so I haven’t been able to get much feedback. The relevant facts: -male, 30 yrs. old -135 lbs (yes I’m that thin), 5′9" -while swimming freestyle laps at a "normal" sustainable pace, I do 100m in ~2:05-2:10 on 30 sec. rest. -timed 50m sprint is 46 sec. -timed 100m sprint is 1:40. -the longest continous distance I’ve tried to swim is 600m (it took me something like 14:00) -3-4 swims a week at 1200-1600M each. What I’m wondering is if I’m progressing sufficiently to do tri’s in the upcoming season (sprints and olympic dist.), and how I’m comparing to other beginners.  I’ve found that watching the swim team members is not a good yardstick  and that the books I have don’t have any guidelines for normal mortals. Thanks a million for any feed back.  I’ve been lurking in r.s.t. for about 2 years now, and have learned much from it. Troy

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You’ll be fine Troy. I started doing triathlons when I was 30 as well. It took me over 50 minutes to swim a mile, and I had never swam more than about 100 yards before my first race. I’m still not fast in the water but a mile takes me about 26 minutes now, 4 years later. Don’t worry about how fast or slow you are, just enjoy doing triathlons. I was terrified of open water swimming, but now it’s no big deal. You’ll do fine. If you can possibly find a masters’ class near you it’d probably be worth the effort. The TI stuff has been of some help to me but mostly I have not used it’s teachings except for the side swimming drills and the swimming downhill trick. A wetsuit will help you greatly in the open water. Keep doing what you’re doing, get some instruction when you can, and if at all possible participate in Masters’ programs. If your experience turns out to be like mine you’ll be doing an Ironman in a few years. Don’t laugh! It happens. Mike

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After toying with the idea for a couple of years, I’ve decided that I’m going to give triathlon a try next year.  I have a running background, nothing serious though, just some local road races.  I started in the pool at the end of Sept. completely from scratch.  I’ve had no formal swim training, and quite frankly, deep water has always given me the willies.  What I’m wondering is how well I’m progressing.  I’m doing most of my training on my own, and my swimming has been largely self taught from books (TI and some others) so I haven’t been able to get much feedback. The relevant facts: -male, 30 yrs. old -135 lbs (yes I’m that thin), 5′9" -while swimming freestyle laps at a "normal" sustainable pace, I do 100m in ~2:05-2:10 on 30 sec. rest. -timed 50m sprint is 46 sec. -timed 100m sprint is 1:40. -the longest continous distance I’ve tried to swim is 600m (it took me something like 14:00) -3-4 swims a week at 1200-1600M each. What I’m wondering is if I’m progressing sufficiently to do tri’s in the upcoming season (sprints and olympic dist.), and how I’m comparing to other beginners.  I’ve found that watching the swim team members is not a good yardstick  and that the books I have don’t have any guidelines for normal mortals. Thanks a million for any feed back.  I’ve been lurking in r.s.t. for about 2 years now, and have learned much from it. Troy

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I took a similar route to you, but after 2 years of trying to train and teach myself, I decided to go wirth a masters programme.  Moving to th eUS helped this but it was the best decision I made.  It was a bit daunting at first, but on the first session I found everyone , inc the coaches,  to be really friendly and helpful.  I have stuck at it for 9 months and seen dramatic changes in my times…ie 1500m pre master was 31 mins, last race in Sept was 23mins.  So my advice is go with a group.. cheers Rich

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Troy, yes, you’re doing well enough for the next tri season. Get a wetsuit, that’ll help. Your times are a little on the slow side, but considering how recently you started, there’s nothing wrong with them at all.

Just wanted to second what Jimmy said.  Troy, you’re doing GREAT for self-taught and in such a short time.  Don’t worry, there are quite a few tri-geeks out there who swim slower than you do now!  Go for it! TriBaby                                     _                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_  `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  / "Real triathletes don’t draft." http://www.stanford.edu/~brooksie *New to triathlon?  Check out Hulaman’s Simple TriTips:  http://www.hulaman.com/triathlon/tritips.html    

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Your best bet is to find a masters swim class and do some training with them. It will allow you to compare yourself to others of your experience and get in some great work-outs. — Mark A. Ross

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Troy, yes, you’re doing well enough for the next tri season. Get a wetsuit, that’ll help. Your times are a little on the slow side, but considering how recently you started, there’s nothing wrong with them at all. Plus, most triathlets don’t swim all that fast. Just think of the swim-portion as something you must "complete".  Cover the distance, that’s all. Work on improvement after you’ve got your first one under your belt.

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Question:

Hey all, A few of us are building up our own wetsuits for an upcoming 1/2IM (one of us happens to do it for a living so…)  A few questions about the rules on what we can/can’t do: As far as I found the max thickness (ITU rule) was 5mm.  Anything else we should be aware of? Is it different for any parts of the body (ie legs/arms/torso)? We have some material that is 3mil but has some grooves impressed into it – would it be ok to use? We are playing with the idea of making a suit that would have less drag than a regular suit (slick skin or otherwise) that we may eventually market.  I guess we’re the testers but I want to make sure we don’t show up the day of and find out we can’t use the suits we made. Any info on rules & regulations for suits would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete peter_cowan..insert at here..pml.com

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Peter I can only answer for USA Triathlon sanctioned races, but here goes. There are no rules regarding the construction of the wetsuit. Although under rule 9.3 The Head Referee has the power to rule on anything not specifically covered in the   rules, and to examine any equipment to make a final and binding decision as to whether it is improper. One of the functions of my committee is to investigate such items. If you would like to submit a design in advance of marketing we can either approve of your design or lend some assistance as to changes that would need to made to get USAT approval. — Bruce Platt Chairman, USA Triathlon Safety & Rules Committee USA Triathlon Cat 1 Official

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all, A few of us are building up our own wetsuits for an upcoming 1/2IM (one of us happens to do it for a living so…)  A few questions about the rules on what we can/can’t do: As far as I found the max thickness (ITU rule) was 5mm.  Anything else we should be aware of? Is it different for any parts of the body (ie legs/arms/torso)? We have some material that is 3mil but has some grooves impressed into it – would it be ok to use? We are playing with the idea of making a suit that would have less drag than a regular suit (slick skin or otherwise) that we may eventually market.  I guess we’re the testers but I want to make sure we don’t show up the day of and find out we can’t use the suits we made. Any info on rules & regulations for suits would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete peter_cowan..insert at here..pml.com

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Question:

The Runner’s Web has an extensive index of running and triathlon club web sites. If we have missed your favourite, please submit it to us and we will add it to our index. Ken Parker Runner’s Web A running & triathlon resource site. http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html

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The current listing for the St. Louis Track Club is out of date.  The new URL is http://www.stlouistrackclub.com Please update your listing page and give us a visit. Thank you, Ken Hawkins SLTC Webmaster – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The Runner’s Web has an extensive index of running and triathlon club web sites. If we have missed your favourite, please submit it to us and we will add it to our index. Ken Parker Runner’s Web A running & triathlon resource site. http://www.runnersweb.com/running.html

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Question:

Just a note to thank all the volunteers and committee folks for puttiing on a great race yesterday. It was hot as hell doing it, not to mention standing at a intersection with no shade. Water was plenty cool though (lake Ontario)!! Once again Thanks!!   Mike Joyner

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: Just a note to thank all the volunteers and committee folks for puttiing : on a great race yesterday. It was hot as hell doing it, not to mention : standing at a intersection with no shade. Water was plenty cool though : (lake Ontario)!! I’d just like to throw in my two cents about the race as well.  It was very well run in my opinion as well.  I think they could have arranged the water stations on the run a little bit differently (there was what sure seemed like a long strech at about 2/3’s of the way into the run), but that was just a minor thing.  It was quite hot, and it was great of all of the volunteers to sit it out like they did… Now if only they could find a way to heat up Lake Ontario : It was said that the water temp was 71 where we were swimming and "somewhat" less between there and the shore, but as one of the people who didn’t use a wetsuit, I think it was a little bit colder than that. Caused my muscles to tighten up pretty bad and made my swim slower than I would have hoped (20:30 or 20:40 ish), but at least the "warm" air warmed you up quickly… Eric

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Just a note to thank all the volunteers and committee folks for puttiing on a great race yesterday. It was hot as hell doing it, not to mention standing at a intersection with no shade. Water was plenty cool though (lake Ontario)!! Once again Thanks!!   Mike Joyner

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Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon Organization: Clarkson University

: Just a note to thank all the volunteers and committee folks for puttiing : on a great race yesterday. It was hot as hell doing it, not to mention : standing at a intersection with no shade. Water was plenty cool though : (lake Ontario)!! I’d just like to throw in my two cents about the race as well.  It was very well run in my opinion as well.  I think they could have arranged the water stations on the run a little bit differently (there was what sure seemed like a long strech at about 2/3’s of the way into the run), but that was just a minor thing.  It was quite hot, and it was great of all of the volunteers to sit it out like they did… Now if only they could find a way to heat up Lake Ontario : It was said that the water temp was 71 where we were swimming and "somewhat" less between there and the shore, but as one of the people who didn’t use a wetsuit, I think it was a little bit colder than that. Caused my muscles to tighten up pretty bad and made my swim slower than I would have hoped (20:30 or 20:40 ish), but at least the "warm" air warmed you up quickly… Eric

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Now if only they could find a way to heat up Lake Ontario : It was said that the water temp was 71 where we were swimming and "somewhat" less between there and the shore, but as one of the people who didn’t use a wetsuit, I think it was a little bit colder than that. Caused my muscles to tighten up pretty bad and made my swim slower than I would have hoped (20:30 or 20:40 ish), but at least the "warm" air warmed you up quickly… Eric

Yeah I know what you mean.  I was an ‘in-water’ lifeguard and hung back with some of the end of the packers.  I had a full longsleeve suit on and was pretty comfortable, but I could tell that those without wetsuits were definitely cold and cramping up.  I had one of the greatest experiences ever in the water…I was with a guy who was doing his first race and was probably a little anxious, given the chilly water.  I tried to encourage him and told him I would stick near him. He eventually finished (albeit pretty slowly.)   I later got "volunteered" to work in the finish line area…When at about 2:45 into the race, that same dude came in and stopped in the finish chute and began thanking me profusely for the aqua-encouragement.  From what he said, he was ready to swim to shore and hang it up.  He had gotten the usual kicks, waterfilled goggles and mouth-fuls of water and was about to quit. There is a *lot* of satisfaction to be had volunteering at a race.  If your haven’t enjoyed it yet…please do. AJ Calabrese

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Great post! I too volunteer (alot) as a course director, technical whatever and of course anything that might come up with Race for the cure, Festival of races, willow bay womens fest., and on and on. It sure makes it worth it!!

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Question:

A  friend of mine is moving to St. Louis from New York City and fears that she won’t find any masters swim programs, people to train with or triathlon clubs in the area. Anyone know what’s going on in that area? JJ

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<A friend of mine is moving to St.Louis…  In response, there are quite a few good races in the St. Louis and Southern Ill area.  E-mail me or have your friend do so and I’ll update you.

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Question:

I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations?

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet –    It is much easier to kick someone when you’re whip/frog kicking.  You    might want to me a tad careful of your fellow competitors. —    LSC (aka Larry Chapman)    (303) 229-3117

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| I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: | | Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it | against regulations? | | One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet – | |    It is much easier to kick someone when you’re whip/frog kicking.  You |    might want to me a tad careful of your fellow competitors. | I’ve been on the receiving end of this.  A few years ago, early in the race, I was passing someone who (unbeknownst to me) was doing the breaststroke.  They kicked me so accurately and so hard, that I was sure I had been neutered.  After 3 minutes of the deadman’s float, I was able to resume swimming.  It was the first and only swim where I very seriously considered DNFing. — Mike Gilson "For those who think, life is a comedy; for those who feel, life is a tragedy."

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In a previous posting Jocelyn Cordell writes: Is it OK to swim the breaststroke?

It is OK to WALK the entire swim segment, provided of course, that the lake is shallow enough (you can do this at LEON’s Triathlon in Hammond, IN).  The ONLY restrictions on the swim are that you cannot have any propulsive devices or flotation devices.  The rest is pretty much left to your imagination on how to get from point A to point B. As long as I’m writing, I’ll take the time to say that this is an awesome  newsgroup. I especially enjoy the race reports! John —

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I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations?

No. I know freestyle’s much faster, but it’s MY least efficient

FYI, freestyle in competitive swimming means that you can do anything you want.  Most people do front crawl (nearly synonymous with freestyle– at least in the US) since it is there fastest stroke. Once in college a couple of us wanted to do 200 fly in the 200 free competition for practice.  Our coach wouldn’t let us do it (not because it was against the rules but) because he had a bad experience during his collegiate swim days.  During a dual meet against Indiana, he thought he had won the 200 free only to discover that *some* guy in the outside lane had smoked him be several seconds.  Needless to say he felt pretty humilated.  Later when he discovered that *some* guy was MARK SPITZ he didn’t feel so bad… That was a little bit of the point, but an amusing antedote…    W.Patrick Brug, Ph.D.  _-           -_    Los Alamos National Lab -__       __-                                       /    cis:      72410,3372        /  

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writes: My understanding of the Triathlon regulations is that any type of stroke is acceptable in the swim portion of the Triathlon.  I think the rules even state that it is permissible for the swimmers feet to touch the ground so I suppose you could even "walk" the swim portion if you were in a shallow enough lake.

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Breast stroke is fine, but I’d sure prefer not to take a strong breast stroke kick in the groin!  -Ed

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I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations? I know freestyle’s much faster, but it’s MY least efficient stroke. Given that my goals for the triathlon include: don’t drown don’t run into another biker/fall off the bike/ walk the bike don’t walk during the run & last finish You can see that I’m not preocuppied with time, merely with distance and endurance- so, is it OK? Thanks- Jocelyn

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writes: I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations?

No rule against it. Good luck, I’m sure you’ll do great. Scott Zagarino Tri Fed USA

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations? I know freestyle’s much faster, but it’s MY least efficient stroke. Given that my goals for the triathlon include: don’t drown don’t run into another biker/fall off the bike/ walk the bike don’t walk during the run & last finish You can see that I’m not preocuppied with time, merely with distance and endurance- so, is it OK?

Jocelyn: It is certainly OK to do the breast stroke, side stroke, back stroke, etc.  It is also OK to walk your bike or walk during the run if you have to.  It is also OK to finish last.   It’s best to organize your goals in levels.  Your baseline goal should be one that you know you can accomplish, like finishing.  The goals you listed are good higher-level goals.  If you make them, great.  If you don’t, you’ve still made your baseline goal.  Setting different levels of goals is even helpful to elite racers. Remember, 99% of the population couldn’t finish at all!  Finishing puts you in the top 1%.  That’s quite an accomplishment in my book. Welcome to the sport. Dave LaPorte U. Minn.

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LaPorte (Biochem)) writes:

The doggie paddle is OK, too. That’s what got me thru my first one.

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I’m a triathlon newbie with, not surprisingly, a question: Is it OK to swim with a breaststroke, or is it against regulations?

Well, I for one will admit that I use breatstroke quite extensively (probably 2/3 of the swim) in tris. I can swim breatstroke almost forever and I’m not much slower than a lot of other age groupers doing freestyle. The other reason is that my arms tire out doing crawl for extended periods.  The most important reason is my crawl tends to veer left all the time (I haven’t mastered looking ahead routinely and I forgot my goggles today making it even harder.).  With breatstroke, I swim a shorter distance by keeping my eyes on the buoy and avoiding detours. It’s best to organize your goals in levels.  Your baseline goal should be one that you know you can accomplish, like finishing.  The goals you

My usual words of advice for any first timer is to finish and finish strong (ie Even if you have to walk part of the run leg, try to save enough energy for a running finish because that’s where all the spectators are.). This also applies to the first time doing a noticeably longer race. After one race, you can be confident in the knowledge that you’ve done it before. arthur — Choices don’t scare me. However, a lack of choices does.

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