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Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area
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 2008-01-03 2:27 PM |
Regular  102  SF Bay Area |  Subject: Looking for a mentor SF Bay AreaHello, I am new to triathlons and I am looking for a mentor to help me through my infancy period in this sport. I am 43 years old, live in Contra Costa County (East Bay) and work in San Francisco for a consulting firm based out of Chicago. Although I am new to triathlons, I am a life time athlete. My strength is biking, as I have competed in criteriums, rode races and mountain biking. I have always incorporated running as part of my training with a distance of 5-10 miles, depending on my motivation at the time. I am new to distance swimming. I can currently swim about 1600 meters during a training session, with 1 minute breaks here and there. I do have over 20 years of experience of North Coast ocean free diving and swimming, which I imagine will help me somewhere down the line. I am training for the swim at the Clarke Swim Center in Walnut Creek, with some swims in the ocean here and there. My main concern is training structure, with respects to programs, equipment and triathlon specific apparel. I am striving for my first triathlon in April, which coincides with the opening of Abalone season and should get me in great shape for some deep dives in Bodega Bay! I am 5’10 and weigh about 180-185 (I am a former power lifter, so my upper body muscle mass leaves my swim stroke much to be improved upon). My main concern is peaking too soon and injury, as I am tending to over train. I really need some structure here with a program that fits me at this point and time. My other concern is equipment. As with every sport I have competed in, there is always sport specific equipment and apparel, which always seems costly, not to mention maintenance costs. I already have a nice Specialized rode bike I have used for criteriums and rode races. I am not sure what modifications are needed for triathlons? I have a decent pair of running shoes and training gear. For swimming, my wetsuit is far too thick for competition, or even training for that matter, but it keeps me from freezing out in the ocean. What is the ideal thickness for a wetsuit, and where can I purchase something decent without a huge expense? What types and tricks can I incorporate into my training? Are there any well known rules of triathlon completion that I need to be aware of? What are the golden rules of does and don’ts. Any help is greatly appreciated as I am new to this sport and I am going to compete one way or another  |
| 2008-01-03 2:55 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Pro 3730    NorCal | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Hi Joe! Welcome to the world of triathlon. Congrats on taking the plunge and jumping into this amazing sport! Yes, this sport can be pricey, but one of the big costs is usually the bike and it sounds like you already have a great bike already. Some people put clip-on aero-bars on their road bikes, but it's not necessary, it's up to you. At races you'll see everything from the wal-mart mountain bikes to bikes that are top of the line. As for wetsuits, I don't know the thickness for tri-wetsuits, but I'm sure that info is on this site somewhere. A great place in the Bay Area is Sports Basement. You can rent wetsuits there and when you decide to buy one, they apply the rental price to the cost of the wetsuit. Definately try them out before you buy. On the training front there are some great training plans on this site. I used them for my sprints, oly and Half-Ironman races. Pick a race, pick a plan and get out there and train. Which race are planning on doing in April? Train, have fun and ask questions. People on BT are great, I've learned so much on this site. Post your workouts in your blog, it's great to track your progress and fun1 I live in marin, but work in SF? Do you work downtown? Happy training! Abbie
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| 2008-01-03 4:59 PM in reply to: #1131568 |
Regular 102 SF Bay Area | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Thanks for your reply Abbie. Your Sports Basement recommendation is great! I will definitely shop there first. I saw some ads for a San Francisco Triathlon in April. It is not the Alcatraz, but I am not sure if it is the Treasure Island event as the details were very limited. Anyway, I am shooting for the S.F triathlon that does not have a lottery to get in, as I have not won a lottery yet If that does not work out, then I am going for the triathlon in Sacramento on April 25th. I am shooting for an Olympic, and hoping I am not bitting off more that I can chew I work in the SF business district on California street when I am in town. I split my time between Chicago, Dallas and various client sites, home office, and of course my office in San Francisco. I think this is a great site! I look forward to logging my progress and maintaining a great rapport with great people such as yourself. It's a pleasure to meet you! Regards Joel |
| 2008-01-03 5:06 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Extreme Veteran 368 Incline Village, NV | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Welcome to BT and the sport! If you haven't already, you may want to consider joining one of the mentor groups that are forming right now. Here's a link to the forum: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/forum-view.asp?fid=115#s The mentors on this site are amazing and have great answers for any questions you may have. |
| 2008-01-03 5:13 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Expert 1022 | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area If you are in the Financial District or around the Presidio, the Tri Club at the SF YMCA is good. They are having an info meeting next Monday and Tuesday. Monday, Jan. 7 at 6:30PM in the Embarcadero Y Boardroom Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 6:30PM at the Presidio Y Main Post Gym Lots of swim coaches, lots of helpers and people who have been around a while, group rides/runs and most importantly, the Embarcadero has an indoor pool for all of us wimps They have been great for me, who had barely any idea of how to swim in October. As for a wet suit, SportsBasement seems to have the best selection/prices in the local area, though you can also pick some up at Forward Motion. |
| 2008-01-03 5:19 PM in reply to: #1132001 |
Expert 1022 | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area joeseal - 2008-01-03 2:59 PM Thanks for your reply Abbie. Your Sports Basement recommendation is great! I will definitely shop there first. I saw some ads for a San Francisco Triathlon in April. It is not the Alcatraz, but I am not sure if it is the Treasure Island event as the details were very limited. Anyway, I am shooting for the S.F triathlon that does not have a lottery to get in, as I have not won a lottery yet If that does not work out, then I am going for the triathlon in Sacramento on April 25th. I am shooting for an Olympic, and hoping I am not bitting off more that I can chew I work in the SF business district on California street when I am in town. I split my time between Chicago, Dallas and various client sites, home office, and of course my office in San Francisco. I think this is a great site! I look forward to logging my progress and maintaining a great rapport with great people such as yourself. It's a pleasure to meet you! Regards Joel The Treasure Island Tri is in November. The Ice Breaker Tri in Granite Bay in April has a nice reputation, as does the Napa Valley Sprint in May. Moraga has a sprint Tri at the end of April that starts in the pool, which is always nice if you want to try the sport without buying a wet suit. |
| 2008-01-03 6:24 PM in reply to: #1132038 |
Regular 102 SF Bay Area | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Thank you for all the great information. This is most helpful! Regards Joel |
| 2008-01-09 4:22 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Extreme Veteran 511 Budapest, Pest Megye | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Hi Joel, I live in Walnut Creek too and started doing tris last year. There are two groups that I run with. One is in Danville (on Hartz Avenue) and they start running from the Forward Motion Sports store at 6.30pm every wednesday rain or shine. 30 to 150 people show up every wednesday and you'll meet a whole lotta triathletes there. Great to get advice and stuff from them. Another one is called the Dirt Dogs and they run a different trail every week-end. They send out an email 3-4 days before the run with directions and what to expect. The runs are usually 4-8 miles. They mark down the courses with chawk arrows so you can run at your own pace and if you end up being alone you can just follow the arrows and find your way home. If you want to get the emails from the Dirt Dogs email me at [email protected] and I'll give them your email address. It's free and you don't have to join either of these groups, just show up and run! There's a great bunch of people there and I improved my running by running trails with the dirt dogs. In the summer and spring they do the trail runs on monday nights at 6.30pm. Now that it gets dark early they do it either on Saturday or Sunday depending on the weather conditions. I swim at Heather Farm's and bike on the Iron horse trail or at the gym. I don't like biking where there's cars and I don't bike if it's raining or dark. Just want to be safe that's all. I started last year by doing a sprint tri in Antioch which gave me an idea of what to expect during a Olympic tri. Transitions can be a bit scary when you've never participated in a triathlon before and the transition from the bike to the run takes some getting used to so I think doing a sprint as a first race is a good strategy. I've done the Los Angeles triathlon, San Diego, Treasure Island and Tri for Real in Sacramento. All were very well run. Tri for Real is a good one because not too far but the run is challenging because it's on a trail and it gets really hot in the summer time there. San Diego is my favorite because it's an international distance (1km swim, 30k bike and 10k run) and the conditions are just perfect. The run is all flat and the bike is challenging but because it's 'only' 30k it makes for a good race. Michellie Jones, the winner at the World championships in Kona 06 was right next to me at this race so it was exciting. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I might not have much experience but I can still give you some tips. Looks like you're going to do fine with your athletic background though. Two websites that I recommend for races calendar: http://pmevents.com/events/? http://www.trifind.com/ca.html Good luck and keep me posted! Sylvain |
| 2008-01-10 10:52 AM in reply to: #1146249 |
Regular 102 SF Bay Area | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Thank you for the great info. I swim out Heather Frams here and there as well. I am thinking of joining the Masters in order to get some great coaching. Just like you, I hate the traffic on roads when I am biking. I have had so many near misses that I try to stay either on the hills of Mt. Diablo, or on Empire mine road in Antioch. It is about a 5 mile stretch of road with some good hills and some flat ground. Anyways, it has been closed off to all car traffic! You can just put your head down and ride with no fear of being run down. I will most definitely make some of the runs you listed. Thanks again for the great information! Regards…Joel |
| 2008-01-10 11:55 AM in reply to: #1147808 |
Expert 1022 | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Mike Heany from the Walnut Creek Aquabears is a very good coach. I know that the age group program is very good, and I've heard that the master's program is equally good. |
| 2008-01-10 11:43 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Master 1588 San Francisco | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Hi Joel (hmmm, a large consulting firm based out of Chicago...sounds like Accenture). It sounds like you have a strong background in all the disciplines already. As others have mentioned, asking questions here on BT is a great start. The Triathlon Talk forum gets a lot more activity so be sure to post there. There is already a wealth of information in posts already so read, read, read. You'll find that many of your questions are already posted and answered by others. There are free training programs available on this site. What distance race are you looking to do? BT also has a mentoring program on the site so check that out too and join one of the mentoring groups. There is no requirement to have specialized equipment. Many, esp. those starting out, use a road bike for their first tris. As others have mentioned, if you're not doing a tri in the bay or ocean, then you can get away w/o a wetsuit. There are a good number of tris in the bay area and surrounding area so you'll have plenty of options. |
| 2008-01-10 11:45 PM in reply to: #1131469 |
Master 1588 San Francisco | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area one more thing, check active.com or http://www.trifind.com/ca.html for local tris. |
| 2008-01-11 10:41 AM in reply to: #1149565 |
Extreme Veteran 511 Budapest, Pest Megye | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area enginerd - 2008-01-10 11:45 PM one more thing, check active.com or http://www.trifind.com/ca.html for local tris. I already said that! |
| 2008-01-11 2:06 PM in reply to: #1150218 |
Master 1588 San Francisco | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area I already said that! D'oh, yes you did! It was such good advice it was worth repeating |
| 2008-01-12 12:41 AM in reply to: #1131469 |
Regular 102 SF Bay Area | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Thank you everyone for all the great information. All the information I have found on BT is paying off in my training already. I am looking for my first event (Olympic) in April, and with all the help I have found on this site, I should be able to do very well. |
| 2008-01-16 9:53 AM in reply to: #1131469 |
Extreme Veteran 511 Budapest, Pest Megye | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area Also Chris Lieto (#5 triathlete in the World), who lives in Danville, is offering coaching (if you can afford it.) http://www.chrislieto.com/team.php Edited by goran007 2008-01-16 9:53 AM |
| 2008-01-16 6:38 PM in reply to: #1146249 |
Champion 7546 Santa Cruz, California | Subject: RE: Looking for a mentor SF Bay Area goran007 - 2008-01-09 2:22 PM Hi Joel, I live in Walnut Creek too and started doing tris last year. There are two groups that I run with. One is in Danville (on Hartz Avenue) and they start running from the Forward Motion Sports store at 6.30pm every wednesday rain or shine. 30 to 150 people show up every wednesday and you'll meet a whole lotta triathletes there. Great to get advice and stuff from them. Another one is called the Dirt Dogs and they run a different trail every week-end. They send out an email 3-4 days before the run with directions and what to expect. The runs are usually 4-8 miles. They mark down the courses with chawk arrows so you can run at your own pace and if you end up being alone you can just follow the arrows and find your way home. If you want to get the emails from the Dirt Dogs email me at [email protected] and I'll give them your email address. It's free and you don't have to join either of these groups, just show up and run! There's a great bunch of people there and I improved my running by running trails with the dirt dogs. In the summer and spring they do the trail runs on monday nights at 6.30pm. Now that it gets dark early they do it either on Saturday or Sunday depending on the weather conditions. I swim at Heather Farm's and bike on the Iron horse trail or at the gym. I don't like biking where there's cars and I don't bike if it's raining or dark. Just want to be safe that's all. I started last year by doing a sprint tri in Antioch which gave me an idea of what to expect during a Olympic tri. Transitions can be a bit scary when you've never participated in a triathlon before and the transition from the bike to the run takes some getting used to so I think doing a sprint as a first race is a good strategy. I've done the Los Angeles triathlon, San Diego, Treasure Island and Tri for Real in Sacramento. All were very well run. Tri for Real is a good one because not too far but the run is challenging because it's on a trail and it gets really hot in the summer time there. San Diego is my favorite because it's an international distance (1km swim, 30k bike and 10k run) and the conditions are just perfect. The run is all flat and the bike is challenging but because it's 'only' 30k it makes for a good race. Michellie Jones, the winner at the World championships in Kona 06 was right next to me at this race so it was exciting. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I might not have much experience but I can still give you some tips. Looks like you're going to do fine with your athletic background though. Two websites that I recommend for races calendar: http://pmevents.com/events/?http://www.trifind.com/ca.html Good luck and keep me posted! Sylvain Hi Sylvain, Could you please send me the links. I also live in the bay area and looking to join a tri group. Thanks very much! my email is posted on my profile. Thank you! |
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