General Discussion Triathlon Talk » First Tri - set goals or just finish it? Rss Feed  
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2005-08-26 9:52 PM

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South Beach, FL
Subject: First Tri - set goals or just finish it?
After some motivation from my (pregnant) wife, and seeing a few not-so-pretty gut shots from some recent beach photos, I have decided to attempt my first tri(sprint). The idea came to me 'out-of-the-blue' because I need some goal to workout each day, you know, have some purpose other than wanting to be generally healthy. (I'm shallow perhaps, but not enough to keep my bod in shape simply for the beach). What I've encountered in my first month of training is that I'm becoming obsessed about it. When I began, my goal was to simply finish it. Then I began researching races and finishing times and now I have found myself setting goals as to each segment of the race and what I think a realistic overall time could be. Right now I swim the 1/4 mile in about 14 minutes. It takes me around 40 minutes to bike 10 miles and I run 3 miles in about 26 minutes. There are three more sprints left in this season in my area (South Florida) with the first one coming September 16th. I want to finish in 1:20. Is that realistic or should I not worry about it for my first couple of races? My wife says to keep it fun and don't always compete so hard, but it's difficult for me. I have been in competetive sports most of my 34 years until the last few. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave


2005-08-26 10:06 PM
in reply to: #235105

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Subject: RE: First Tri - set goals or just finish it?

Hi Dave,

First of all, welcome to BT!  And welcome to the world of triathlon.  I would focus on finishing the race comfortably, and not obsessing about time goals.  The goals you have considered are quite doable, but when you factor in transitions and doing all three sports together you might find things don't work as planned.  You don't want to set yourself up for disappointment if things don't quite go as planned. 

I know when I did my first race, I had a general time that I wanted to do.  I did get under that time by a little bit, and was pleased with my effort.  I was surprised by the effort it took, and some of things that occurred during the swim.  I had not taken into account the kicking, thrashing, and going off course that occurred.  Back then there was no internet for me to read about what happens in an open water swim. I'm dating myself.  LOL

Good luck with your training, and feel free to ask questions.  There are lots of people here with lots of answers.

2005-08-26 10:08 PM
in reply to: #235105

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Subject: RE: First Tri - set goals or just finish it?
Hi, Dave. My first question: have you done any bricks? I ask because it's one thing to look at your times in separate workouts, but you'll find your performance is different when you string one sport behind another, as in the race.

For my first race this year, I avoided setting a challenging time goal. I told myself my primary goal was to finish, and my secondary goals were to do so in under 2 hours, and meet my individual leg goals. This was for a sprint, and I had nowhere near the sporty background you do -- literally, I was coming off of the couch. However, I will say that not having stringent goals helped me concentrate on just having a great race, enjoying the fact that I was out there tri-ing. I just wasn't worried about the time, and my focus was on the experience. I'm happy with that choice; if I'd set some sort of challenging goal and then not met it, I might have not have felt so good on race day. That's one person's 2 cents.
2005-08-27 8:07 AM
in reply to: #235105

Member
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2525
South Beach, FL
Subject: RE: First Tri - set goals or just finish it?
First of all, I have to say this is the most courteous and helpful group I have ever encountered. Nothing but positive people sharing positve energy. It's refreshing to see. Thanks for the warm welcome.

Secondly, after reading the couple of posts and speaking with my wife, I have decided that I will set no time goals for my first race and simply enjoy the moment and relish in a completed race, God willing. Once I have one under my belt, I will have my own 'real' time to use a barometer for setting goals in future races.

Thanks to all who helped.
Dave
2005-08-27 8:22 AM
in reply to: #235105

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Subject: RE: First Tri - set goals or just finish it?
Way to go Dave...welcome to the wacky world of triathlon. If you can't find motivation and sympathy here, there is simply no help for you!

Take it from us all who have been there before, just do the first race with absolutley no time goals in mind. Finish it, enjoy the experience, and be proud of yourself once you officially become a triathlete.

Oh yeah, and a side note to "Mrs Capt Dave"...you are wise beyond your years...so just make sure he has "FUN" as the operative word in all his races. Trust me, he'll thank you for it later!

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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » First Tri - set goals or just finish it? Rss Feed