Anyone Here Done a Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri?

I would assume they are the same pedals that are on the spinning bikes.  Shimano SPDs.

I have and they're pretty fun.  The pedals are one-sided SPDs, one-sided toe cages (if I remember correctly). 

I have done 2 of these the last 2 years and will plan on doing the 12-6 one at Shelby Twp. this year (Achilles tendon willing). This is the first time they have had a fall/winter one. It is a 10 min swim (you share the lane with 1 other person so you hope you don't both swim the same speed as you will be constantly "fighting" with the other person); you get 10 min to quick shower and change and then a 30 min bike (Kimm is correct (SPD's on one side and toe cages on the other side) - the tension is set, you can not adjust; then 5 min transition and a 20 min run on the treadmill. Transition time does NOT count toward your overall performance.

They usually do their spring one in March or April depending on the Club. I find them good alternatives to just working-out. I do wish they would have separate dressing area's for the Tri athletes as you are "fighting" with the general membership. But, since they give you plenty of time, this is usually not a major problem.

I have done two in the past and had a great time.  Beware that they may make you run up a steady incline without any notice.  Last year about 15 seconds before the run portion was to begin they announced that we would be running up a 4% incline for 20 minutes.  I know its not a killer, but it was a mental bummer.

Thanks for the replys!!!  Follow up questions,  I looked at the results from a few of these and based on the miles supposedly traveled, a few folks covered almost 15 miles = 30 MPH.  This would appear to me to mean that the tension is quite light.  I have had and will not have a chance to ride any type of spin bike prior to the event.  Would "spinning" with my road bike on the trainer at a low resistance and higer gear give m a good simulation?  And, what level of Jell-o legs can I then expect on the dreadmill?  I've got a treadmill, so I can do a few basement bricks to get a feel for things. 

Ted,

The spin bikes are the closet I have seen to simulating the real bike, but I do think there are differences between the trainer and a spin bike. My suggestion is go to www.lifetimefitness.com and request a 10 day "Free Trial Pass." Then take one of their spin classes and get the feel.

I actually think the tension is fairly tight, but did 13 miles in 30 min without much training in March. The legs are always mush when going from bike to treadmill run. So I highly recommend doing several bike/run bricks prior to the event. This will give your legs a good feel.

The 5 minutes between the bike and run does give your legs a chance to settle down and gather some feeling before the run. You will do great! Sign-up and do it!!!!

Alright, I am done and paid for the one in Shelby Township on 12/6.  Cool, is the fact that you can save 5-bucks if you elect not to get a T-Shirt.  The feedback here and from a few racing friends is that these rock, so I am very much looking forward to it.

I was planning on doing one of these this year then last night had a 8 ln dumb bell land directily on my big toe, toe nail....

Gotta love how an accidental injury like this can derail all training.

Alright, now that I am doing one, anyone have any thoughts on how to attack an indoor triathlon? Before I post my loose plan for Sunday, I have to add that I am incredibly excited about Sunday's event. My daughter asked me to register her and we are racing in the same wave. We'll get to share a lane for the swim which has relieved me of some stress as I was a bit worried who she'd be matched up with if we were placed in separate waves. I'll also get to bike and run next to her.

As for my plan:

 : It is only 10-minutes, so I want to go hard the whole time. The only thing I want to be careful of is to be sure I don't cramp my feet. Recent swims have proven to me I can go full throttle for 10-minutes and depending on how well I can monitor the clock, I want to try and sprint to the finish going even harder the last 30 to 40 seconds depending on what it'll get me. I'll get credit for a 1/2 lap if I pass the 1/2 way point and don't hit the wall. There is a 10-minute transition in between the swim & the bike.

Bike: I'm torn here. 30-minutes isn't all that long, but I don't think I can bike full throttle the entire time. I've confirmed the pedals of the spin bike are doubled sided with cages on one side and Shimmano SPDs on the other, so I can wear my cleats which should give me some more power. I am confused by the rules here too. I can't tell if I'll be able to adjust the tension or not, but would assume not. I haven't been on a spin bike, but racked up over 100 miles on the bike trainer over the past few weeks. I think it'll work better to try and maintain a heavy pace and try and do a 30 to 40 second sprint every 5 minutes or so. After each, I can settle back in a determine what I have left. I am still weak on the bike, but want to really work hard here, versus saving up something for the run. Only a 5-minute transition from bike to run.

Run: 20-minutes of pushing my legs for all that they have left. If my legs have anything left, I'd like to set up for 7 MMs. With the ability to "step off" at the horn, I want to crank the treadmill for all its got for a sprint to the finish. Depending on how I am going, this'll start at about a minute to go. I have to be careful on the treadmill. Unlike the swim and the bike where the rules "allow" a racer to stop (I better not), if you step off the treadmill, you are done and the current distance is recorded as your final. I warned my daughter about this as she does tend to take breaks when she is on the treadmill.

So there you have it. One more planning piece. I am going to swim in unpadded tri shorts and then switch to padded tri shorts for the bike and the run. With having to switch from bike to running shoes I don't think I'll have time to go from the spin studio to the locker room and to the treadmill in time. I will, however, have a change of shirt. Oh, and I'll be rocking the compression socks for sure  My daughter may regret wanting to race due to the embarrassment this will create.

Edited by AeroBaldness 2009-12-02 5:49 PM

I have done 3 LT tri's and never really had such an elaborate plan like you.  But a few tips.  Wear a jammer or 'speedo' for the swim, you will have enough time to get dry and switch to tri shorts/bike shorts in T1.  I would suggest the Tri shorts on the bike and run.

As far as the bike, before, the tension was set and you werent allowed to adjust.  But I read you now can change the tension for these races.  To be honest, I would set the tension to a comfortable level, and just spin out for the 30 minutes, don't pay too much attention to that, because higher tension doesnt necessarily mean further distance (or revolutions of the wheel). 

On the treadmill, you got the right plan.  If you or your daughter need to step off, obviously dont, slow the treadmill down to a walk or stop.  I always crank it up the last 2 minutes, but ultimately, that may give you an additional .1 mile boost over your previous 18 minute pace.

Good luck, I always found these to be enjoyable races.

If by elaborate, you meant psycho, thats me!  The insane planning piece is something I can't turn off no matter if it is a charity 5K or a full marathon and in some insane way is part of the fun for me.  I'll likely drive the folks here nuts when planning what I hope will be my 1st 1/2 IM next summer. 

Thanks for the info, I have a feeling I am going to really like the whole indoor tri thing and this wont be my last over this winter. 

Please report back on how the event went - I'm really curious about possibly tackling one of these later this winter/early spring...

Below is my race report pasted from another site.  Simply put, this rocked and I'll be doing at least one more this winter.  Hutch, if you read this, sorry we missed each other.  I saw your results, VERY NICE WORK!

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon Race Report - 10 Minute Swim, 10 Minute T1, 30 Minutes on the Spin Bike, 5 Minute T2 & 20 Minute Treadmill Run.

I've gotta say, knowing that my chances of drowning were quite slim, I slept about the best I have pre-race, ever. Got there about 45 minutes before our wave start and checked out the logistics. Their facility is awesome.

Swim: Got in to the pool area early enough to see the swim before us. There was definitely a mix of swimmers. When it came to our turn, my daughter already secured the middle lane for us (sweet). The pool was murky and the sun was hitting it just right making it VERY tough to see in the water. My daughter had a hard time keeping to her side and we scraped a few times, but nothing that really slowed me down (or her either). I went out a bit too fast, but was able to find a good groove and ended up swimming 21.5 lengths - 512 meters (25 meter pool) in the 10 minutes. I wanted that last 1/2 length for 22, the most done on the day was 24. T1 was uneventful, got dry and headed over to the spin studio.

Bike: The spin bike is nothing like the road bike on the trainer. I thought I got the seat right, but once I got going I realized I was too low. When I tried to lean forward my knees came close to banging my chest. I did most of my damage sitting upright. After about 4 minutes I got annoyed with the the MPH and just put a towel over it and just worked. Thank goodness they had huge airflow through the studio, I was a sweaty mess. The other thing I noticed about the spin bike is that it has a huge seat and this difference hurt my backside muscles the entire ride. Stayed steady through about 25 minutes, turned it up for 3 minutes and then really cranked for the last 2. Unfortunately, they had the tension on the clips very low and I popped out in the final minute.  I was able to recover and get clipped back in for a few more spins. I ended up with 14.7 miles total. My daughter was the hero of the spin studio to the staff. They had never had someone as young as 13 do one of these. T2 was the quickest 5 minutes ever. I had to swap shoes in the studio and the head upstairs (cruel) to the machine area. By the time I got up there they were counting down from a minute & 30 seconds to the start.

Run: As planned, I started out at 7 MM. I was only able to maintain this for about the 1st 8 minutes before I had to back it down a bit. It felt like someone was twisting my calf and hammy muscles tighter by the minute. I had to back down again after 13 minutes. With 2 minutes to go, I said screw it and cranked the treadmill up to 10.5 MPH. I late edition to the running mix was Monster by Skillet. This was the perfect thumping beat to end on. I has set a goal to get 2.75 miles in the 20 minutes and just missed it, getting 2.70.

By the time we stretched and came back downstairs, they had the results. I was VERY happy to see my name in the top 3 for the Masters Division & even more proud of the 5th overall! This was a VERY COOL event & I'd highly recommend it to anyone. My wife was there to watch and has the bug to do one in March of next year and my son will be race age as well so we may make it a family thing in the spring. 

Congratulations!! What a great job. (And a great race report, thank you!)

Aero,

Too bad I didn't realize that was you or I would have introduced myself to you! I talked with your wife during the run - nice lady!

Great race and very, very nice report. I finished 16th overall and 8th in the Masters division, but my proudest moment was watching my 14 year old daughter and her friend compete. They were in the same wave as you and your daughter (I had to compete an hour earlier). My daughter finished 7th overall female and her friend (also 14) finished 4th (and neither one trained for the event - ah, youth!). What a GREAT feeling to watch the sport I have become to love pass on to the next generation!

I can not do Commerce Twp., but wish I could. These indoor Tri's are an awesome way to get into (or keep motivated for) multi-sport racing.

Edited by MSUDan 2009-12-07 4:21 PM

I saw you cheering the girls on, they were amazing!  Nice work by you too.  I thought it was a very stout field looking at how fit everyone was.  I am with you on how amazing it is to see my kids growing up in this sport.  I WISH someone had turned me on to this when I was younger versus discovering it myself at 40!!