Question:

Hello, After my first triathlon attempt I realize I need to improve my training on the bike. In my age group I was 18 in the swim, 22 on the run and 32 on the bike.  Seriously, more than 200 people passed me…anyway, for the last two months I’ve been riding 1 – 2 hours midweek, and then a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.  This is on mostly road and urban trails,  just riding as fast as I could. I loved doing the triathlon, and can’t wait to do a couple next year. Thanks for your help Sam BTW, I’m riding a 15 year old mountain bike, with road tires.  I plan to upgrade next year

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Pedal harder. Andres PS: please forgive me, I couldn’t resist

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Hello, After my first triathlon attempt I realize I need to improve my training on the bike. In my age group I was 18 in the swim, 22 on the run and 32 on the bike.  Seriously, more than 200 people passed me…anyway, for the last two months I’ve been riding 1 – 2 hours midweek, and then a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.  This is on mostly road and urban trails,  just riding as fast as I could. I loved doing the triathlon, and can’t wait to do a couple next year. Thanks for your help Sam BTW, I’m riding a 15 year old mountain bike, with road tires.  I plan to upgrade next year

A road bike (or tri-bike) with aero bars that fits you correctely will make a big difference I’m sure.  Squeezing in another ride or 2 or 3 will definately help.  Also remember if you wanna race fast train fast.  Also do some intervals each week, if your unsure about what kind of intevals, you might invest in a heartrate moniter and book on use to help you. Tim buaidh no bas

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check this link for some ideas: http://www.martygaal.com/workouts.html

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Join a local cycling group with fast riders.  There’s no substitute for riding with others that will push you.  While you can’t draft in most triathlons doing it in training allows you to push bigger gears and getting used to faster speeds.

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After my first triathlon attempt I realize I need to improve my training on the bike.

Simply put you need to get out there and bike HARD, not necessarily long, particularly if you’re doing shorter races.  I feel the best way to make yourself bike hard is to join a bike group of some sort, either an organized team or another group that goes out and rides hard. BTW, I’m riding a 15 year old mountain bike, with road tires.  I plan to upgrade next year

You’ll definitely want to get yourself on a road bike, particularly [and hopefully] if you ride with some roadies. Cheers, Doug "worked for me" Fuller

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After my first triathlon attempt I realize I need to improve my training on the bike. In my age group I was 18 in the swim, 22 on the run and 32 on the bike.  Seriously, more than 200 people passed me…anyway, for the last two months I’ve been riding 1 – 2 hours midweek, and then a 3-4 hour ride on the weekend.  This is on mostly road and urban trails,  just riding as fast as I could.

Although I’m rather new to triathlon, I think I know how to help you. Your problem seems to be that you cycle continuously. There are other (and better) ways to prepare you for a time trial (what the tri bike event actually is). In Lance Amstrong’s book I found a good workout, and here’s a dirivative: Divide your distance in parts. If you want to prepare for a 40k time trials, start with 10k, in four parts. Try to race as fast as you can during 2.5k, rest 20 minutes by easy pedalling, and do this 4 times. Over the weeks, slowly increase the 2.5k distance to 5k, so you’ll be cycling 4x 5k (20k). Now join those intervals (3x 6.5k, 2x 10k) if your triathlon is only a few weeks away. Of course, you should take sufficient rest; you can’t do this type of training every day. For every tough training session, there should be at least an easy session to recover. Although I never tried it myself yet, I think it’ll work. Interval training should be an integral part of any endurance sport, be it swimming, cycling or running. Rene van Belzen hurray [at] xs4all [dot] nl My Running Log http://www.xs4all.nl/~hurray/myrunninglog/

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Question:

Thanks everyone for the advice,  I have had about two weeks off from my last marathon, and I am getting ready to start again.  It looks like I will be doing a lot of swimming and biking for at least 4 weeks,  I just found out today I got a stress fracture in my foot from the last marathon. Thanks Again Ron C

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Hi Ron, As someone who completed his first IM last year (IM-USA, 13:47 – looking to *kill* that number next year), I know where you’re coming from.  Last winter I decided that I needed help planning a schedule for IM-USA given my limited swimming and biking background (was a marathon runner) and lack of experience creating a periodized training plan to peak me for the big day. I signed up with Coach Troy and would recommend him to anybody.  At his price-point, he’s pretty hard to beat.  Has lots of plans to satisfy the true beginner or tri-gods like Joanna Z.  If you’re looking for a more personalized plan read below. This year I switched to rst’s Gordo Byrn, http://www.coachgordo.com, and haven’t regretted it for a second.  A bit pricier, but well worth it IMHO.  From his "humble" beginnings (i.e. recent age-group athlete like ourselves) to IMC age-group medal winner, I think Gordo has a unique perspective that some of the "top" coaches don’t (says Clive not intimating that Gordo is not a top coach).  He understands that we all can’t crank out 30 hr workout weeks due to jobs, overtraining, etc. and the importance of the monthly recovery week.  I’ve found him to be very accomodating of my questions and has helped me immensely in my fundamental understanding of recovery, nutrition, periodization and more.  If you go with Gordo, you will not be disappointed. In any case, good luck, and *definately* pick up Joe Friel’s book "The Triathlete’s Training Bible".   A good read which allows you to build your own Annual Training Plan (ATP) (TM). Get back to me if you have any questions. Cheers. Clive – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am looking for a good Ironman Training program.  I am going to race the PineMan in Ohio in 2001. Thanks Ron C Depending on what shape you are currently in, triathlete magazine had a 7 month training program that was authored by Paula Newby-Frasier last year.  I would imagine that its pretty good<g.  If not, you can always look for a coach’s program.  I believe that some of the more popular ones are at multisport.com and coachtroy.com  I think that multisport.com is by Paul Huddle and Roch Frey and is highly recommended.  The coachtroy.com program is by Troy Jacobson and is also highly regarded.

Before you buy.

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Gale and Joe work together in Ultrafit Associates.  www.ultrafit.com Her book is built using Joe’s system.  Please let us know how you find the plan. Cheers, gordo

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Hi Ron – One thing to add… Remember that your recovery weeks and rest days are the most important days in your program.  Some folks gradually grind themselves down with IM training.  Train consistently, recover often. Cheers, gordo

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If you are training toward’s Pineman then preparing for 112 miles of relentless hills should be high on your list of preparation.  By comparison the swim and run on this course are easy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am looking for a good Ironman Training program.  I am going to race the PineMan in Ohio in 2001. Thanks Ron C

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I am looking for a good Ironman Training program.  I am going to race the PineMan in Ohio in 2001. Thanks Ron C

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Ron,         I would recommend Joel Friel’s Triathlete Training Bible or Gale Bernhardt’s new book of Multisport Training Plans (which looks like she worked up using Friel’s book as a reference).  I survived 2 IM’s (IMUSA ‘99 & Vineman ‘00) using self-devised plans loosely based on the Training Bible with moderate success.  I thought I’d try IMCal next May using Gale’s 26-week training plan—-next week is week #1!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am looking for a good Ironman Training program.  I am going to race the PineMan in Ohio in 2001. Thanks Ron C

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I am looking for a good Ironman Training program.  I am going to race the PineMan in Ohio in 2001. Thanks Ron C

Depending on what shape you are currently in, triathlete magazine had a 7 month training program that was authored by Paula Newby-Frasier last year.  I would imagine that its pretty good<g.  If not, you can always look for a coach’s program.  I believe that some of the more popular ones are at multisport.com and coachtroy.com  I think that multisport.com is by Paul Huddle and Roch Frey and is highly recommended.  The coachtroy.com program is by Troy Jacobson and is also highly regarded. Before you buy.

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Question:

Hi Alexia, I am a newbie also and have asked a similiar question.  There is a lenghthy thread called "Newbie Question: Tri Bike vs. Road Bike" on (10/14/2000) that you should check out…there are many varied and interesting responses to read on this subject. Regards, Dixie Hi there, I’ve just completed my 4th Sprint Distance Triathlon and am becoming so frustrated with my terrible riding skills which are really holding me back. I’m pretty new to riding, so I understanding that it takes time to become accustomed to the skills and I have to put in my miles. But does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks, Alexia Milner

Before you buy.

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Hi there, I’ve just completed my 4th Sprint Distance Triathlon and am becoming so frustrated with my terrible riding skills which are really holding me back. I’m pretty new to riding, so I understanding that it takes time to become accustomed to the skills and I have to put in my miles. But does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks, Alexia Milner

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yeah, don’t take advice from triathletes on bike handling skills!  :-) gm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi there, I’ve just completed my 4th Sprint Distance Triathlon and am becoming so frustrated with my terrible riding skills which are really holding me back. I’m pretty new to riding, so I understanding that it takes time to become accustomed to the skills and I have to put in my miles. But does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks, Alexia Milner

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join a bike club

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Ouch. That hurt. It’s largely true, but it still hurt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – yeah, don’t take advice from triathletes on bike handling skills!  :-) gm Hi there, I’ve just completed my 4th Sprint Distance Triathlon and am becoming so frustrated with my terrible riding skills which are really holding me back. I’m pretty new to riding, so I understanding that it takes time to become accustomed to the skills and I have to put in my miles. But does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks, Alexia Milner

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Roadies have "skills" for riding in packs, attacking other riders but bugger all else! I had never raced with a "roadie" bike club when I first raced. I won a 64Km scratch race because I could handle a bike sliding "big time" in the wet. I learnt how to ride on a bmx and motocross bikes on farms and had never ridden in a pack when I won my first Local road race.. We have a local "lad" Shaun Mc Carrol, who has been disqualified from some of the local "Roadie" events because he has this bad habbit of pulling a ‘wheelie’ whilst riding no handed. Mind you he only does it when he wins! Shaun is a Pro Downhill Mtb rider for Giant Europe, as a "natural" talent he can also kick-ass at most road events. The only time he rides with "roadies" is when he is board! I sponsored Shaun when he was young and with little or no road riding he won a 2 day, 3 stage event because he just rode his butt off. I believe Shaun ranked in the top 10 Mtb Downhillers last season and placed top 5 in the Dual Slalom Mtb World Champs. Lloyd

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – yeah, don’t take advice from triathletes on bike handling skills!  :-) gm Hi there, I’ve just completed my 4th Sprint Distance Triathlon and am becoming so frustrated with my terrible riding skills which are really holding me back. I’m pretty new to riding, so I understanding that it takes time to become accustomed to the skills and I have to put in my miles. But does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks, Alexia Milner

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Question:

 Is there a mail order firm…….on-line or otherwise…where I can buy, cheaply, a pair of Brooks Talon mens run shoe size 12?? Thank you…….sjc

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Anyone know where I can find a source for a pair of New Balance NB 801 trail shoes? The Flash-

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check out roadrunnersports.com Is there a mail order firm…….on-line or otherwise…where I can buy, cheaply, a pair of Brooks Talon mens run shoe size 12?? Thank you…….sjc

-H.Ong- Track 200-:26, 400-:58, 4×400, 4×100, 800-2:18, 1600-5:23, 3200-12:38 XCountry-18:48 Basketballer Mountain/Road Biker Marathoner Triathlete (except I can’t swim!) Paintballer MiniMag#11115 MOG#441 AO#58

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Question:

Matt, Rest up and get well for the race.  In my opinion, there’s very little to be gained from training in the week preceding the race.  I wouldn’t worry – you won’t lose all that you worked for in a week that rapidly.   In fact, you will have a better race if you heal up and get better. Good luck and hope you get well soon! -Kendall – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m 17 and Im doing the Wildflower in a week.  I just got sick a day ago, it has something to do with my stomach and throat/breathing(maybe flu?).  It is gonna be my first triathlon and now I’m kind of mad, you know to get sick a week before.  I was wondering if it would be ok to just keep training despite the sickness?  Or should I just rest and if so how much would that hurt my performace(not training)? Thank you very much Matt

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I am a teen too. Most of the time when I am going to do my MOST important races, I do very very little the 4 days before the race, even when I am healthy. I always had great races. I have been told that this gives your body time to heal all the small problems that we don’t even feel. If you were in pretty good shape, it is better to take the time off and try to get better. You are not going to lose anything!!! Last year I got sick about a week before a race and tried to keep training, like you are thinking about doing. Half way through the race I died. My dad reminded me of what worked for me in the past. Most of those times, I was healthy, so what made me think working out before a race when I was sick was going to work better? When you are tired, what is the best thing to do? Stay up late for a couple of nights, or get extra rest for a couple of nights? Hope this helps GOOD LUCK at WF   D.J.  " I heard, when you get old (like over 30) it’s best to quit for the year and play cards "    (IRONKID) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m 17 and Im doing the Wildflower in a week.  I just got sick a day ago, it has something to do with my stomach and throat/breathing(maybe flu?).  It is gonna be my first triathlon and now I’m kind of mad, you know to get sick a week before.  I was wondering if it would be ok to just keep training despite the sickness?  Or should I just rest and if so how much would that hurt my performace(not training)? Thank you very much Matt

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After complaining about all the FS and WTB ads on the rst I decided to start my own web site, and include  a for sale, and wanted to buy page.  You can now as of 4/23 enjoy the addition, and  get a free  for sale or wanted to buy ad at: www.wolfpacktriathlon.com/forsale.html Please, triathlon, duathlon or related gear only.   The site and the pages are brand new, watch for new and exciting updates daily. No matter what you do tri hard.

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Hi, I’m 17 and Im doing the Wildflower in a week.  I just got sick a day ago, it has something to do with my stomach and throat/breathing(maybe flu?).  It is gonna be my first triathlon and now I’m kind of mad, you know to get sick a week before.  I was wondering if it would be ok to just keep training despite the sickness?  Or should I just rest and if so how much would that hurt my performace(not training)? Thank you very much Matt

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Question:

Yes, mine would bleed right through my T-shirt.  I found the small round bandaids helped.  If the nipple is wet (eg., hot humid runs or rainy wet T-shirt), it becomes all the more sensitive – keep the area dry if possible.

For about the last year I have had problems with my nipples getting irritated after a run.  It doesn’t happen after every run, but most. Can any one offer assistance.  Thanks

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Happened to me also.  All you have to do is add vaseline.   Kirk S. http://members.aol.com/coincider/homepage/index.htm (running, triathlon, and swimming links here)

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After a long shower, lie back on a nice waterbed and have your mate caress your tender beautifully formed breasts and Sorry folks.

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How about a MOTAS to delicately massage them back into shape between runs?

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I use Body Glide, nips and thighs

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I have been through it all. There is no way to stop it, but band-aides. I use active strips. A little pricey, but they do work and they come off without hurting. I do shave my chest a bit around the nipple.

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For about the last year I have had problems with my nipples getting irritated after a run.  It doesn’t happen after every run, but most. Can any one offer assistance.  Thanks

I suffer likewise in summer, when wearing tops made of scratchy wicking material.  Bandaids over my nipples do the trick (thankfully, my chest is nearly hairless), or bandage tape, which is especially handy because (a) it’s waterproof and won’t come off no matter how hard you sweat; and (b) it’s quite easy to peel off in the shower. ‘Hope this helps, -WCD-                                              Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Running, astronomy, radio DX’ing:           http://www.entrenet.com/mizar/ *** I BOYCOTT INTERNET BULK ADVERTISERS, THEIR PRODUCTS AND THEIR ISPs ***

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From a male perspective:  Vasaline or tape.  Rough top material, especially T-shirt logos make it worse.  Very normal for me. Kirk —    

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… I do not speak for everybody but from what i have read Tom you seem to be alone on this one buddy.   Even if that were true, "So whut?". Besides, we’ve already seen posts from folks who said they’d have disqualified them, so I’ve got at least one supporter (not that it really matters).

Along with a post from Charlie Crawford – one of the IMH refs who states that crawling is allowed. For the sake of your arguments, it most certainly does matter. Besides, the real point here is what is acceptable for the sport.  I simply refuse to accept that allowing, sanctioning or otherwise encouraging athletes to enter the danger zone does nothing good for the sport of triathlon.  Nada.  Zilch.

And I would simply ask, who are you to tell me I can’t enter some real or imagined  "danger zone"?   I’m an adult. I accept responsibility for my actions. I am doing my first IronMan at IMC next year and, given my rather limited physical capabilities, I will very likely come close to that "danger zone."  I accept that. I accept that the IMC medical people may keep a close eye on me and may even have to make a decision that I won’t like. But if I end up crawling the last 50 yards, I sure as hell will appreciate them allowing me to "degrade" myself so I can fullfill a dream. Who the hell are you to say that’s wrong? Mike "TriBop" Tennent Remove "nospam." for email reply IMC ‘98 IronVirgins Website http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/imc_iv.htm WebRunner Running Page http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/running.htm My Model Railroad Layout http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/srr.htm

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : My rationale for pursuing this is simpy this:  it is bad for : the athletes and the sport to allow folks to approach the : brink of death in an organized event.  When triathlon is : struggling for mainstream acceptance, these events will only : increase the gap between us and the real world. Yes, I see your point.  I mean, motor racing has a real problem with the dichotomy of approaching the brink of death in organized events vs. mainstream acceptance.  Hardly anybody watches it or sponsors it, and nobody projects themselves into the sport by buying fast cars or driving like maniacs on public roads.  Similarly, boxing, football, and hockey are all rapidly fading from spectator and participatory favor due to the risks involved and the brutality of the spectacle.  

LOL!  Good God, man, I hope you aren’t serious.  You WANT TO be considered in the same  light as those sports? I hope you were merely extending a hyperbolic argument. Seriously, the "gap" between "us" and the "real world" …<most folks understand and watch the Olympics – snipped  but it isn’t going to demean us in the eyes of anyone whose opinion is worth us caring about.

Well, part of the real world is "us", too. So what does that say for one’s own self-worth? If you think that it is good for triathlon to stoop so low (pardon the obvious pun), then you might as well take up a blood sport. Tom

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: My rationale for pursuing this is simpy this:  it is bad for : the athletes and the sport to allow folks to approach the : brink of death in an organized event.  When triathlon is : struggling for mainstream acceptance, these events will only : increase the gap between us and the real world. Yes, I see your point.  I mean, motor racing has a real problem with the dichotomy of approaching the brink of death in organized events vs. mainstream acceptance.  Hardly anybody watches it or sponsors it, and nobody projects themselves into the sport by buying fast cars or driving like maniacs on public roads.  Similarly, boxing, football, and hockey are all rapidly fading from spectator and participatory favor due to the risks involved and the brutality of the spectacle.   Seriously, the "gap" between "us" and the "real world" (huh?) exists only because most of the "real world" is populated by couch potatoes, not because we are thrill-seeking death-wish maniacs.  Healthy active people are capable of understanding triathlon (at all distances and intensities) and we are not going to lose favor or lose potential participants by having someone crawl over the line after an Ironman (whether it be a 70 year old man at 12:01am or a lithe elite female in the middle of the day), anymore than road racing lost favor when Bob Kempanian puked fluorescent bile (repeatedly!!  eeewwww!) on national TV during the marathon trials or Uta Pippig struggled to the finish of a marathon with blood streaming down her legs or cycling did when Greg Lemond crapped in his pants on a TdF stage or nordic skiing does when the Agony of Defeat guy goes spinning off the edge of the jump or gymnastics does when Kerri Strug scrunches up her face in pain and hops around on her tweaked ankle.   Sure, the ESPN Sportscenter ("if it’s not the Big 4 it’s Crrrrraaaaaapp") guys will make fun of any and all of the above for a few minutes, but it isn’t going to demean us in the eyes of anyone whose opinion is worth us caring about. Wade Blomgren wade @ hobbes.ucsd.edu

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: : : My rationale for pursuing this is simpy this:  it is bad for : : the athletes and the sport to allow folks to approach the : : brink of death in an organized event.  When triathlon is : : struggling for mainstream acceptance, these events will only : : increase the gap between us and the real world. : : : Yes, I see your point.  I mean, motor racing has a real problem with : the dichotomy of approaching the brink of death in organized events : vs. mainstream acceptance.  Hardly anybody watches it or sponsors it, : and nobody projects themselves into the sport by buying fast : cars or driving like maniacs on public roads.  Similarly, boxing, : football, and hockey are all rapidly fading from spectator and : participatory favor due to the risks involved and the brutality of the : spectacle.   : : LOL!  Good God, man, I hope you aren’t serious.  You WANT TO : be considered in the same  light as those sports? Well, I’m serious in that I mean those sports don’t have any trouble with mainstream acceptance.  I myself certainly don’t have any particular affinity for them, and no, I don’t wish my athletic endeavors to be regarded in the same light as those particular "sports".  My point is that you seem to be concerned about the reputation of triathlon as a brutal agony festival and yet mainstream society gets a big kick out of things of that nature.  So by what "mainstream" are you clamoring for us to be accepted?  Yuppie tree hugging upper middle class college graduate baby-kissing dog-tummy-rubbing mentally and physically fit public-television-pledging no-Bud-only-homebrew squares (like me)? There’s really not much of anybody else to be concerned about once you’ve divorced yourself from people who like car racing and football and so forth.  And: A) That’s not the mainstream B) I speculate that people in that "category" and relevant variations for the most part are not averse to, and not in need of distancing themselves from, for example, a modest bit of personal sacrifice and limit pushing that results in bringing someone to her knees in the last few meters of a 10 hour, 140 mile test of endurance and fortitude.  Do you propose we eliminate the catchers at the end of triathlons and marathons, and rule that if you bend over or fall down after you cross the line, you are DQ’d because you went too hard?  Video of the medical tent would probably be far more deeply embarrassing than video of someone crawling, I would think.   You don’t want triathlon to be perceived as extreme but the fact of the matter is that Ironman (which for better or worse is "triathlon" to the uninitiated) is way damned extreme.  If Ironman is not your cup of tea, so be it.  But you don’t need to protect the world from the "raw reality" (M. Allen) of it. Should Chris Legh have been pulled from the course?  Absolutely. Is it a shame that he (apparently) pushed himself too hard?  Yes. And yet should we deny (for example, as he has hypothetically described) Mike Tennent the opportunity to (coherently) crawl on bloody knees the last few meters down Lakeshore drive and prostrate himself on the red carpet at the finish line of the race of his lifetime at IMC next year?   I don’t think that is your or my decision to make. Why would someone lower themselves to the point of reaching for a brass ring from their knees?  Human nature.  Al Trautwig or John Tesh or somebody once purported that the "Ironman creed" is "Fight.  Finish."  I can’t disagree.  For your enjoyment, some other possibly smarmy cliches and lyrics not inconsistent with the "Ironman creed": Everyone dies.  Not everyone lives. It’s better to burn out than to fade away. Take your best pony and ride into your worst fear. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again. I’ve never been tested, but if I was I’d like to think I would pass. Would-of could-of should-of. Because it’s there. On the bicycle there is always much suffering. If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. No fear. Just do it. blah blah blah yada yada yada Why do people come up with phrases like these?  Why am I spouting cliches?  I don’t know.  This is an interesting topic and I’m still trying to sort it out in my mind.  I really do want to see the video, maybe after we all see it we’ll have a better basis for discussion. I blew up so hard 2 hours after IMC that I did in fact wonder if something was seriously wrong.  If I might die.  I was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen but I was writhing around pretty good.  My wife blew up so hard after her first marathon we were on the phone to urgent care at midnight.   Insane.  Why would I do that to myself?  Ask me in Penticton on August 30th 1998.  Ask her at the Rock & Roll Marathon on June 21st.  We may not have reasonable answers.  We may not have any answers.  Or we may chicken out and not even be there .  And of course our primary goals will include NOT feeling that bad afterwards, we’re not completely nuts. Wade Blomgren wade @ hobbes.ucsd.edu

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… Can you see it…someone sitting there thinking "man these girls are in trouble, but lets let them continue because we will get more commercials and attention if we let it unfold".  

Tell me that the Julie Moss episode didn’t galvanize network attention. Tom

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"One word answer:  MONEY (from TV, endorsements, finish line prizes, etc.) Tom" Tom, I think you have an entirely unfounded cynical and uninformed and  un-thought-out position on this. Exactly 40 minutes before Sian and Wendy went down to the line, WTC President  David Yates and Ironman Medical Director Robert Laird examined Chris Legh and  called his race over even though he was trying to crawl 100 yards from the  finish line. They did it because Chris Legh was no longer able to marshal any forward  progress and he was in essence out on his feet. The best parallel is boxing: Good referees call the bout when a fighter is no  longer able to defend himself or know   consciously where he is and what he is doing. Sian and Wendy both were totally conscious, focused and driving to within a few  yards of the finish line. Only they had a glycogen bonk and were temporarily  unable to maintain leg muscle control. Medical personnel get there when an  athlete’s progress has stopped and examine and ask the athlete  a series of  questions to make sure there is nothing serious going on. Since athletes are not allowed help or they are disqualified, medical personnel  are very careful to determine the medical status of an athlete and are ordered  to override an athlete who clearly is no longer in control, or is in possible  danger, even though they may desperately want to continue. In this case, it happend in a few seconds — there sas no time to step in that  quickly — and no one had stopped tryin g to move. They were struggling., but  moving nonetheless, and trying mightily to get the last few feet. This was very similar to Julie Moss in 1982 — she had glycogen depletion but  was in no serious trouble. It was not heat exhaustion.   Julie as well as Wendy and Sian were fine shortly afterward.   The implication that TV producers, WTC president Yates, medical director Robert  Laird, amnd race director Sharron Ackles and anyone else is cyunically risking  athletes lives is preposterous. I know all of them personally and they care  very deeply about all the athletes and all decisions are made with safety  foremost.. I know as far as media access goes at Ironman safety trumps  exposure every time. Timothy Carlson

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"Tell me that the Julie Moss episode didn’t galvanize network attention. Tom " Of course it did. But the reason it was moving television is that the people filming saw  something that was human and moving and inspiring and they were inspired to  film it and share it with the world. Everything else — more money, popularity of the sport, better ratings — followed WITHOUT the prior calculation of the broadcasters. Anything done calculated to have that effect is doomed to ring  false and NOT have that effect. People reacted to the Julie Moss finish in 1982 because it was REAL. The  reaction of the TV crew was REAL. The response by viewers was REAL. It was  something happening in the moment, could not be planned, and was authentically  moving.   The cynicism about such things — they CAN’T be planned — is what is unreal. You may of course take the position on protracted OJ Simpson trial coverage  that dragged on for years and you would be closer to the truth. But it is my  posoition that the Julie Moss episode was in no way parallel and was in no way  handled badly. It happened in a moment and the world stood bask and wondered. Timothy Carlson

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Tell me that the Julie Moss episode didn’t galvanize network attention. Tom

It did Tom, but I don’t think they planned it that way. Same this year also.  Any human with a shred of conscience would immediately react to this with  concern, not with how many bucks this is going to make. I just can’t see the  type of immediate reaction in anybody. If given time to think it out, maybe,  but this happened in seconds, so I cannot believe this is money driven. "Iron Pete" Priolo IMC’96 – 10:36:37    IMC’97 – 10:42:53 ‘98 Gulf Coast Tri, IMC’98

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"Tell me that the Julie Moss episode didn’t galvanize network attention. Of course it did. But the reason it was moving television is that the people filming saw something that was human and moving and inspiring and they were inspired to film it and share it with the world.

Sure…  and what it caused was a surge in triathlon participation.  And it was awe-inspiring to say the least. And concern provoking.  Like when Jan Ripple did the same thing in Orlando at the Worlds.   So what happened to all that concern? Everything else — more money, popularity of the sport, better ratings — followed WITHOUT the prior calculation of the broadcasters. Anything done calculated to have that effect is doomed to ring false and NOT have that effect.

And despite the fact that we’ve seen this repeated an rules were put inplace, it happens still (to some, at least!). Why? People reacted to the Julie Moss finish in 1982 because it was REAL. The reaction of the TV crew was REAL. The response by viewers was REAL. It was something happening in the moment, could not be planned, and was authentically moving.   The cynicism about such things — they CAN’T be planned — is what is unreal.

At the risk of appearing like an extra in the latest Mel Gibson movie, how do you know that? More inportantly, what was all  the hue and cry about vis a vis the "no crawl" rule (or drafting for that matter – since we are talking about rules and their enforcement or lack thereof)? You may of course take the position on protracted OJ Simpson trial coverage that dragged on for years and you would be closer to the truth. But it is my posoition that the Julie Moss episode was in no way parallel and was in no way handled badly.

I agree 100%.  Unforeseen event. Never happened.  One of a kind. Never to be repeated – NOT! However,  I simply refuse to believe that the organizers of this event (IMH 97) could not (hey, the rule was there!) not have foreseen this eventuality given the conditions of the day.  They appear to have chosen to allow some athletes to be at risk for some reason.  I can only think of one good one.  What do you think? Tom

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:"One word answer:  MONEY (from TV, endorsements, finish line :prizes, etc.) : :Tom, I think you have an entirely unfounded cynical and uninformed and : un-thought-out position on this. : :Why thank-you! ;=)  Nice to start off objectively.  No :matter… :… :Oh, this is just sweet. So now you are saying that triathlon :should be a "blood sport"?  Isn’t the snaction on crawling :there to keep the sport off that slippery slope? Citing from "Rules and Reg’s of the ironman", to be found at http://www.ironmantri.com/rules.html 1.No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawl- ing is allowed. So there. _What_ is your point? —                             Ulrich Porsch             Wer spricht vom Siegen, "Ubersteh’n ist alles  

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… 1.No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawl- ing is allowed. So there. _What_ is your point?

My comments had segued from earlier posts (maybe you missed them as some newsservers are , well, unreliable) that looked at the Trifed rules.  And in addition the USOC states in its accepted triathlon rules: "                      The competitor may run or walk.                        The competitor may not crawl. …                       Any competitor who appears to officials to present a danger to                        themselves or others may be removed from the competition. " So ask yourself, why, ven after the Moss event  IMH continues to allow such displays of … I don’t even know the right word here. Tom

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… I do not speak for everybody but from what i have read Tom you seem to be alone on this one buddy.  

Even if that were true, "So whut?". Besides, we’ve already seen posts from folks who said they’d have disqualified them, so I’ve got at least one supporter (not that it really matters). Besides, the real point here is what is acceptable for the sport.  I simply refuse to accept that allowing, sanctioning or otherwise encouraging athletes to enter the danger zone does nothing good for the sport of triathlon.  Nada.  Zilch. What it does is just prove to the sporting world and the populace at large is that triathlon (IM distance) is a "sport" for  wackos (which may not be far from the truth <g).  If _you_ want to see traithlons in th eX-treme Sports clips fine.  But I believe that it should be a testment to endurance, not stupidity. Tom

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh, this is just sweet. So now you are saying that triathlon should be a "blood sport"?  Isn’t the snaction on crawling there to keep the sport off that slippery slope? Even so, I suggest you take a cruise to the library and look up Marquis de Queensbury.  And try and show me how those rules established in about 1860 apply to say, the latest Tyson fight. Sian and Wendy both were totally conscious, focused and driving to within a few yards of the finish line. Only they had a glycogen bonk and were temporarily unable to maintain leg muscle control. Medical personnel get there when an athlete’s progress has stopped and examine and ask the athlete  a series of questions to make sure there is nothing serious going on. Oh… I see now.  The rule on crawling is simply made to be broken if the finishers are female and in the money.  Why bother to DQ anyone then?  Like say someone who swims like a rock and misses the swim cut-off but by virtue of skill in the ride and run could easily made the final deadline.  Or maybe the BOPpers don’t count then?

I suppose this would be a credible argument IF crawlng was illegal – which it apparently isn’t in IMH competition.   I don’t have access to the IMH rules, but several posters who do have stated that. I checked the IMC rules and it clearly states that crawling is allowed. Since it’s the same organization, I assume the rules are the same. So, it wasn’t a matter of bending any rules. At IMH and IMC,  you CAN crawl. OK? The only real question is whether the ladies were in medical danger and should have been DQ’d under those guidelines. No-one has claimed that, so far. Debate all you want as to how it looks, if w’ere lunatics, is it pandering to the masses, etc.  But it wasn’t a rule violation to crawl. Sheesh. Mike "TriBop" Tennent Remove "nospam." for email reply IMC ‘98 IronVirgins Website http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/imc_iv.htm WebRunner Running Page http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/running.htm My Model Railroad Layout http://www.gate.net/~wbrunner/srr.htm

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Who peed in your cheerios?

Who slipped Halcyon into yours? <smile Tom

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…so I cannot believe this is money driven.

"Pete, did you ever see that study that asked people if they’d take a drug that would guarantee them a gold medal even if it meant a debilitating illness 5 yrs from the event?  Scary results.   "There are lots of strange motivators… and money is one of the best (despite what Maslow said in his hierarchy of needs). Tom" Despite my 100 percent disagreement with Tom Ruta, this guy is an Ironman in his own way. He stood his ground here and replied at  least 7 or 8 times on this thread, defending his position. FInally, everyone  else left and when the dust cleared, he was the only one standing. Me? I am crawling to the finish line —  to sleep. Timothy Carlson I think this is a record.  

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: : : …so I cannot believe this is money driven. : : "Pete, did you ever see that study that asked people if : they’d take a drug that would guarantee them a gold medal : even if it meant a debilitating illness 5 yrs from the : event?  Scary results. : : "There are lots of strange motivators… and money is one of : the best (despite what Maslow said in his hierarchy of : needs). : : Tom" : : Despite my 100 percent disagreement with Tom Ruta, : this guy is an Ironman in his own way. He stood his ground here and replied at :  least 7 or 8 times on this thread, defending his position. FInally, everyone :  else left and when the dust cleared, he was the only one standing. : : Me? I am crawling to the finish line —  to sleep. : : Timothy Carlson : : I think this is a record. No, Tom and I just have different opinions on the motivators here. He just explained his points, and, hopefully, I mine. We are only speculating what is going though people’s minds when this scene unfolded; the bottom line is that I hope he is wrong. No offense Tom. Anyway, I cannot pass any more judgements on this thing until I actually *see* what happened there, I won’t make any more of this at this time. — "Iron Pete" Priolo IMC’96: 10:36:37 IMC’97: 10:42:53 ‘98 Gulf Coast Tri, IMC’98

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Question:

Does anyone know of a ready-made tri screensaver for the Macintosh? Brian Sullivan

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 * snip * I think there are better pics to be found on some of the individual pages out there, like yours, Tricia, or Marty’s.  Tricia, may I use a picture of you on my screen saver?

Hell, Stacy, why use a picture of a TriBaby when you can snag that fab shot of Karen Smyers on the bike in Kona ‘95 off of Marty’s page?  Go ahead and use me if you really want to ("Oh, yes, use me, do with me what you will!"), but it sounds kinda scary to me! Tri-Baby                                      _                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_  `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  / "REAL Triathletes don’t draft." *** Ironman Canada 1997 *** http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~brooksie        

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HELP         I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.         Troy

Troy – I simply cut the picture of my latest purchase a NEW tequilo as my wallpaper and I get lots of questions from co-workers… Jeff Andres

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You’re right, Tricia.  Against my better judgement I surfed over to the ITU sight to see these pics(first I had to go to Yahoo! to find out where the damn thing is).  I wish now that I’d listened to that little voice and not given them the hits on their pages.  All the pics were of Emma Carney aka "I can beat Mark Allen if he has the guts to show up", or the winners on the podium, or a bunch of wheel sucking drafters.  I didn’t end up downloading one. I think there are better pics to be found on some of the individual pages out there, like yours, Tricia, or Marty’s.  Tricia, may I use a picture of you on my screen saver? Mr. Stacy J. Hills  Tricia Richter wrote in article … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Apparently, all the images from ITU World Cup races in 1997 are downloadable for free from the ITU web site (or else a link to the ITU-photo site), and as such can be used for screen savers. This isn’t my idea; this little piece of   info comes from Colin Whelan, the Australian photographer whose agency has the ITU contract to shoot all the races — and he’s pleased if people want to make screen-savers out of the images. Yeah, but Troy said he wanted a TRIATHLON screen saver……

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Yeah, but Troy said he wanted a TRIATHLON screen saver……

RIGHT ON, Tricia!! John (Faith) Ft. Washington, MD

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HELP    I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.    Troy

 There are 2 sold by UltraCoach and one given away free at the website 1. Official Ironman 2.  Official Scott Tinley

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HELP    I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.    Troy

I use Microsoft scenes and various race shots available on the internet. You may need Paintshop Pro or a similar program to manipulate image size and format.  Otherwise, it’s easy and works great, and I assume other screen savers have similar customizing options. My beef – no good tri images on line?  Any help there would be appreciated. Bob Johnson LArgo, FL

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I have written a little program that ’swaps’ in a bitmap file on a Windows 95 or NT 4.0 desktop. You set the directory where your bitmaps are located and set a time interval to change the images. The program runs in the background and appears in the icon tray. It is not quite done (what software ever is), I’m still adding a few features like ability to use JPEG’s and GIF’s the UI is a little rough but it works great. I place all kinds of bitmaps into one Dir. and let-er-rip. If you would like to give it a spin e-mail me Michael Dickson – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HELP    I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.    Troy

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roy Here’s what I did.  I went to CNET and downloaded a free version of "Amazing JPEG Screen Saver".  Next step is to collect your favorite TRI pics and save them as JPEG files.  The Screen Saver will then search for the JPEG files and use them as pictures for the screen saver.  Very Cool and Very Free.  It’s also a nice way of putting pictures of your family (or in my case an ultrasound of my future son) on the screen – assuming you have access to a scanner.

Where do we find CNET? — Derek Theriault Equipe de triathlon Universite Laval SAS 2254, PEPS Universite Laval Ste-Foy, PQ, Canada G1K 7P4 Fax 418-656-5749 Tel 418-845-3793

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Troy wrote (and Carlos answered)       I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give. Here’s what I did.  I went to CNET and downloaded a free version of "Amazing JPEG Screen Saver".  Next step is to collect your favorite TRI pics and save them as JPEG files. Apparently, all the images from ITU World Cup races in 1997 are downloadable for free from the ITU web site (or else a link to the ITU-photo site),

and as such can be used for screen savers. This isn’t my idea; this little piece of   info comes from Colin Whelan, the Australian photographer whose agency has the ITU contract to shoot all the races — and he’s pleased if people want to make screen-savers out of the images.

Yeah, but Troy said he wanted a TRIATHLON screen saver…… Tri-Baby                                      _                                   –    o      ’             –  __o       –    </_  `     ‘         –    <         – __/    /o_         – (()) (())        -  / "REAL Triathletes don’t draft." *** Ironman Canada 1997 *** http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~brooksie        

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – roy Here’s what I did.  I went to CNET and downloaded a free version of "Amazing JPEG Screen Saver".  Next step is to collect your favorite TRI pics and save them as JPEG files.  The Screen Saver will then search for the JPEG files and use them as pictures for the screen saver.  Very Cool and Very Free.  It’s also a nice way of putting pictures of your family (or in my case an ultrasound of my future son) on the screen – assuming you have access to a scanner. Where do we find CNET? —

Nowadays, just try the obvious… www.cnet.com  will get you there. It’s a big site but they have a search engine. Mike "TriBop" Tennent WebRunner Running Page http://www.webrunner.com/webrun/running/running.html My Model Railroad Page http://www.webrunner.com/webrun/srr/

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Troy wrote (and Carlos answered)       I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.       Troy Here’s what I did.  I went to CNET and downloaded a free version of "Amazing JPEG Screen Saver".  Next step is to collect your favorite TRI pics and save them as JPEG files.

Apparently, all the images from ITU World Cup races in 1997 are downloadable for free from the ITU web site (or else a link to the ITU-photo site), and as such can be used for screen savers. This isn’t my idea; this little piece of info comes from Colin Whelan, the Australian photographer whose agency has the ITU contract to shoot all the races — and he’s pleased if people want to make screen-savers out of the images. Mousepads, too, I guess. Go see what’s there. Katherine Williams Triathlon Sourcebook

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   I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.    Troy

Here’s what I did.  I went to CNET and downloaded a free version of "Amazing JPEG Screen Saver".  Next step is to collect your favorite TRI pics and save them as JPEG files.  The Screen Saver will then search for the JPEG files and use them as pictures for the screen saver.  Very Cool and Very Free.  It’s also a nice way of putting pictures of your family (or in my case an ultrasound of my future son) on the screen – assuming you have access to a scanner. Regards, Carlos Torres de Navarra Coral Gables, Florida

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HELP         I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.         Troy

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Get a photo that you like, scan it and make it your screen saver.   – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon HELP    I am trying to find a triathlon screen saver besides the inside tri screen saver. Does anyone know of another or a way to make your own. Thanks for any input anyone can give.    Troy

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Question:

I swam with the St. Pete Master’s Swimming group for two weeks several years ago, and they were welcoming and friendly.  Master’s programs are almost universally delighted to have new faces, whatever the skill level of the person (providing you can swim the length of the pool comfortably and work to accomodate others). I suggest you try it for a week or two, and if you like it and stick with it, then the people there will be able to assist you more than we can over the net. Matt

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feel okay about the bike and the run–at least, I know how to bike and run.  But I have never competed in swimming, and don’t really have any idea how to set up workouts and/or keep them interesting and beneficial.

I’m not sure just how new you are to swimming, so this may be much more basic advice than you need.  When I started training for my first triathlon, I was quite fit (from soccer), but I hadn’t swum in more than 15 years, and the thought of swimming just 25m filled me with dread.  The thought of a 1 mile ocean swim evoked outright terror.  So, what I did was adopt a training program designed to prevent me getting scared while in the water; anyone else out there ever had that lung-choking gasp that comes from water-fear? What I did was swim some lengths as emotionally relaxed as possible.  As soon as I felt uncomfortable, I stopped to rest.  I’d start up again when I was calm.  The goal here was to produce a Pavlovian response from my brain; ie. by only swimming when calm, I wanted to produce the association that swimming == calm.  After two weeks of this (an hour a day) my brain stopped fighting me and shifted to more the prosiac concerns of staminia and technique. Now, 8 months later, swimming is one of the high points of my day and like many others here, my biggest swimming concern is how to get more speed with less effort (and how to flip-turn without hitting my head . – Tim Iverson —

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[SNIP] But I have never competed in swimming, and don’t really have any idea how to set up workouts and/or keep them interesting and beneficial. I’ve been told that it would be good to join a master’s program, but with no experience whatsoever, I didn’t know if that was such a good idea. I know it’s kind of a broad question, but could someone give me advice on how to approach the swim training?  Thanks!

I second the motion to get in a Masters swim program.  Unless it’s run by some kind of body Nazi, you’ll be made to feel welcome.  You will almost certainly swim in a lane with other people who are at your swimming ability level, and get workouts proportional to your skill and fitness. If this isn’t a possibility, then maybe the following rules of thumb (or ROTs, as in "I’m dishing out more ROT here") could be used. 1. You’ve got probably less than 2 months to get ready, so practice the    skills you’ll need.  Try to get in a couple of open water swims so that    you get used to swimming a roughly straight line without a line on the    bottom .  Practice raising your head every fourth or fifth arm cycle    (or whatever frequency you need) and take your bearing from landmarks on    the shore, or on anchored buoys, or whatever). Also find out what    goggles work out for you in open water.  If you’re really intense,    you can even practice a swim to bike transition on these training    cruises. 2. Practice first to achieve the distance necessary for the race, if you    aren’t already confident of doing a non-stop 1/2 mile.  Do this by      simply always getting in at least a half-mile in your workout, but don’t    take that to mean grinding out a straight half-mile every time you get    in the pool.  Do a non-stop half-mile no more than once per week. 3. More than most other sports, swim training makes use of intervals.      The workout is broken into many sets of varying distances, with varying    amounts of rest.  A very simple set for someone working on a 1/2 mile    distance might be 20 x 50yd on 1:00 (translation: do twenty swims of    fifty yards each, taking 1 minute for each fifty yard swim (including    rest).)  Personally, I *like* to break long distances into very short    chunks, like 50yd, and take short rests  (this is usually called a    "broken swim" or "broken set").  So I would set my time interval such    that I’d have to work a bit to get a mere 5 to 10 seconds rest.  The    early swims in this type of set feel easy, but you should be fatigued    by the end.  This also lets you swim at what you hope is your "race pace",    or the speed you hope to maintain on race day. 4. Do a few non-stop swims of greater than 1/2 mile–up to a mile.  Things    happen in a race:  the course is incorrectly measured, you swim off-    course, you swim towards a buoy only to find out that it’s an orange-    sailed windsurfer but your goggles were too foggy to distinguish it at    a distance.  Again, you just want to be confident that you can handle    unexpected problems. There are many, many more things to be said, but I’d still go with your first choice of finding a Masters group.  Failing that, you can try to talk to an age-group coach to see if you could suck along in some of their workouts (sometimes a small "coaching fee" can be a worthwhile investment). Rick Teichler                                             Louisville, Colorado) "Usual disclaimers: blame me, not the company that keeps me."

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Attack on two fronts: GET IN A MASTERS SWIM PROGRAM. It will improve your stamina and form and speed so much the fears and rigors of open water swimming will be very nearly eradicated and swimming will be turned from nightmare into fun. They are also fun because the coaches and swimmers are a lot of fun and you will always find a lane at your level of fitness to give you an added incentive to hang in there. Otherwise it can be lonely pounding out the miles with just those black lane lines as company.   GET A WETSUIT —  LONG JOHN OR FULL SUIT — AND THEN TRY OPEN WATER SWIMMING Why a wetsuit? Because it elimates the possibility of hypothermia. And secondarily, short of a dedicated two or three year background in swimming, it is the equivalent of training wheels. It makes triathlon swimming not a torture for inexperienced swimmers. Why? Because it gives flotation to the legs. All in all, it takes 20 percent less effort to swim with a wetsuit because it puts your legs and body on an efficient plane. In fact, with a wetsuit, you do not have to use your legs at all. Having said this, hopefully you will then be inspired to learn how to kick and will eventually not need a wetsuit and will be much faster and more fit when you do learn how to kick efficiently. Also, wetsuits take the shock out and ameliorate the bumping and thrashing of mass swim starts. The third piece of advice may be the most valuable, but it costs more: Get private swim lessons from a great stroke mechanic. It would be most advantageous to eliminate your bad stroke habits immediately and ingrain good habits as you start the sport.

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I’ve been told that it would be good to join a master’s program, but with no experience whatsoever, I didn’t know if that was such a good idea. I know it’s kind of a broad question, but could someone give me advice on how to approach the swim training?  Thanks!

A master’s swimming team would be a great place to start, as most will welcome most any ability.  Plus, you’ll meet ALOT of triathletes at the pool.  Plus, swimming can be rather boring by yourself.  Another suggestion is to try some open water swimming if you can.  Go to a local lake and try to swim from buoy to buoy, such as might be found in a swimming area.  This will make you much more comfortable with the open water swim in the race, and you will learn how to swim in a straight line (hopefully). Marty

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I have been swimming for 3+ years and did my first tris last summer (sthn). I swim 3-4 days per week with a masters group at Cronulla, south of Sydney and right on the beachfront. In summer we do one day per week openwater session. Some sets are Pool    1 to 1.5km warmup (SKIPS or similar) while its too dark for the ocean Ocean         15 * beach circuit comprising 200m out and back swim, approx 250m running loop on sand, 15 secs rest.         15*  (run in, swim 200m to sea, 30secs rest, swim back to land, run up beach to dune, back to waters edge, 15 sec rest)         or         run 200m along beach, do previous (IN/OUT) set 5 times, run 200 etc for 2-3 Km         or         run 3Km along beach, swim back non-stop (good navigation test) The variations are endless and we change to suit weather/surf conditions, amount of light etc. Always swim in a group, count heads before and after each set. On long swims arrange to stop briefly every 500m or so and check on a buddy. — Ian Lilly                                         Phone  +61 2 879 9500 Marketing Manager                                 Home   +61 2 523 1509 Mining and Petroleum Industries                   FAX    +61 2 879 9585 Silicon Graphics Inc, Intercontinental Area       Voicemail       58890 Up and down the lane I go, day after day, year after year.       ,===/o__

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  You wrote;                                                                                                                  I will let the great swimmers give you all the training advice.I’ll give you some bad swimmer advice: practice in open water as much as you can.

i agree with that. i swim in the pool alot and still get trashed in the water. i, too am a newbie and i’d like to know just how much people swim in the open water and how much they swim in a pool. also, any suggestions for open water swim workouts…

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Hi all– I am doing my first tri in August–it’s a sprint tri w/a 1/2 mile swim.  I feel okay about the bike and the run–at least, I know how to bike and run.  But I have never competed in swimming, and don’t really have any idea how to set up workouts and/or keep them interesting and beneficial. I’ve been told that it would be good to join a master’s program, but with no experience whatsoever, I didn’t know if that was such a good idea. I know it’s kind of a broad question, but could someone give me advice on how to approach the swim training?  Thanks! –megan

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I will let the great swimmers give you all the training advice. I’ll give you some bad swimmer advice: practice in open water as much as you can. Swimming in a pool cannot prepare you for a race in open water (though it is certainly important for conditioning). Also, if you are an inexperienced swimmer with questionable form, a wetsuit is invaluable. Brian Sullivan

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Question:

Are any other netters going to the LG Tri?  It’s a beautiful area, great course, & very professionally run.  I’d be interested in hearing from others going or a recap of others experiences after. Good Luck  | Lake Geneva,  WI  53147   |IBMMail  : I1074963                  |  | Voice (414) 248-3666      |FAX      : (414) 248-4801 DTMF 3022  |

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I agree, the Lake Geneva race is great.  It conflicts with another race at Devil’s Lake the next day which is a sprint distance which I’m told is a very tough sprint course.  I’m an  age grouper and this will be my 4th Lake Geneva race and I’ve enjoyed all of them.   At the Maritime race last weekend in downtown Milwaukee there were plenty of people from Wisconsin (and Illinois)  planning on doing Lake Geneva.   BTW I plan on running down all of you "flat-landers" from Illinois on the hills! Good luck, Jay Urbain Bayside, WI.

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writes: beautiful area, great course, & very professionally run.  I’d be interested in hearing from others.

This is a very scenic race. Once out on the run, the surroundings are great. Be advised, many other triathletes will tell you that due to the hills, factor in an additional 6 minutes or so to your time. I agree with Todd Jensen about the swim distance accuracy. Be warned – it may be very cold early in the morning, be prepared with a warm-up suit, many were left wearing their wetsuits just for warmth before the swim. The weather should be better than last year, but it’s hard to say… I didn’t warm up until mile two of the run. One friend wore a sweatshirt during the bike leg. Good Luck – enjoy yourself. Jeff Pazen

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Are any other netters going to the LG Tri?  It’s a beautiful area, great course, & very professionally run.  I’d be interested in hearing from others going or a recap of others experiences after.

I did this race last year and agree – its a gorgeous course, and also very challenging!  Lots of rolling hills to contend with on the bike and some long steep climbs to run up and then back down.  The bike and run course are fairly accurate, but the swim distance can be off by a lot in either direction – so don’t get too estatic about a fast time or too down about a slow time. It’s interesting that even though the race is in WI, about 75-90% of the entrants are from the Chicago, IL area.  The race director said he stopped advertising in Milwaukee or anywhere north of there since it doesn’t seem to draw anyone from the state.  It probably doesn’t help that Lake Geneva is mostly inhabited and visited by vacationers from Chicago. Good luck to everyone who does the race – I heard the temperatures should be summer-like this year, and not the near freezing conditions of last year. Todd Jensen                                   o AT&T Bell Labs                  ___^o_    __o    <| Naperville, IL                      _ <_    _

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