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run or tri?
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 2014-01-08 3:55 PM |
 43 |  Subject: run or tri?last summer the sprint was fun, sort of...except for the swim. but after doing it and coming in 4th in the 5k portion I realized where my strength lies (and wallet) so ive been focusing on running. I am trying to decide whether to do an Olympic or two this summer. lactate-wise I am fine but not sure what to do about the expensive bike portion. I could stick with my commuter bike and judge myself solely on the run split, or try to compete by spending a lot of dough on a fast bike. there is probably a middle option...aero wheels?...or I could just do some marathons. :? |
| 2014-01-08 4:38 PM in reply to: fnkyhd |
Master 3888     Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: run or tri? Originally posted by fnkyhd last summer the sprint was fun, sort of...except for the swim. but after doing it and coming in 4th in the 5k portion I realized where my strength lies (and wallet) so ive been focusing on running. I am trying to decide whether to do an Olympic or two this summer. lactate-wise I am fine but not sure what to do about the expensive bike portion. I could stick with my commuter bike and judge myself solely on the run split, or try to compete by spending a lot of dough on a fast bike. there is probably a middle option...aero wheels?...or I could just do some marathons. :? To run or do triathlons is a personal choice, only you can answer. You don't need an expensive bike to be competitive. I have a road bike with clip-on aerobars and in local tri's I am usually on the podium. I personally like races that involve all 3 as I like swimming, biking and running. If you look at triathlon you will notice there's a lot of time on the bike during the race. So if you improve on the bike, you will improve overall in your placing in triathlons. If you are a strong runner that's a big plus. Time wise you spend the least in the water so if you're a great running, good cyclist you can still do well in triathlons but ultimately to be at the top your swim game needs to be good as well. The nice thing about cycling is you can work hard at it and put a lot of miles on the bike with little concern about injuries coming from "riding too much". Running is a different story. And yes, race fees for 5K's, 10K's Half Marathons etc. are generally less than for Tri's. |
| 2014-01-08 5:35 PM in reply to: fnkyhd |
| 1660 | Subject: RE: run or tri? Your commuter bike will work fine. If it's heavy with low-pressure tires and big wheels, yes, it'll be slower.
If it's a road bike (not hybrid or mtn bike), you'll have minimal penalty. Even a flat-bar road bike (not drop-bar road bike) will lose you less than 1-2 minutes per hour of bike racing.
The middle-road if you can swing it is to: - Borrow a road bike for race day. You don't even need the clipped-in pedals and as long as you don't crash it, you've got a weapon good enough to win the event if you're strong enough. (Chrissie Wellington dominated her early triathlons on a borrowed bike.) - Invest in an entry-level road bike. About $700 at the LBS nowadays, and that's again good enough to win the event outright. (Beware that the accessories will usually cost a lot!) - Buy a BikesDirect bike at your price point for less online. They're solid, legitimate bikes and sell for about 2/3rds what a LBS bike will sell for. Obviously you can't ride it before you buy it though. |
| 2014-01-08 5:44 PM in reply to: reecealan |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: run or tri? Struggled with this for a long time. My conclusion.....running is easier on the wallet; tri is easier on the body, particularly compared to marathon training. I what's made the decision for me is that I don't seem to be able to tolerate the volume/intensity of running that would make me a top runner in my AG in run-only races anymore, but I can usually be one of the best runners off the bike in a tri. It's not exactly the same ability, or the same kind of training. FWIW, I compete on a low-end road bike (Trek 1.2 in Asia, 1.5 in the US) with clip-on aerobars. While I'm not a top biker--in a good race I might crack the top 10-20% of women, and wouldn't be out front even on the fanciest bike, my run and swim are strong enough to get me on the AG podium in most of my races. I do end up ahead of many people with much fancier bikes, even on the bike leg, so, to quote the infamous, it's not just about the bike! For you, a compromise might be a secondhand road bike with clip-on bars. It would be faster than your commuter bike without breaking the bank. If your time is really limited then that's another consideration--tri training just takes more time. Rides tend to be longer than runs, probably more total training hours, time spent getting to/from the pool, messing with the bike, etc, What I'd really like is to ditch the bike altogether (in terms of training/competition) as I have little spare $$ to spend on tricking it out, nowhere attractive to ride around here, no one to ride with, and apparently zero natural talent for the sport. But I like to compete and there just aren't very many aquathlons out there. |
| 2014-01-08 6:56 PM in reply to: 0 |
Extreme Veteran 643 , Guam | Subject: RE: run or tri? Triathlon Lots of GREAT information given by posters before me on this thread. I could only add that, doing triathlons you will become a more rounded athlete IMO Edited by spearit 2014-01-08 6:59 PM |
| 2014-01-08 7:13 PM in reply to: spearit |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: run or tri? I searched for one that was simply runner vs triathlete but couild only find ultra runner vs ironman triathlete. This is still pretty funny, it's six minutes and change long but funny. My favorites are the triathlete vs cyclist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBw39uCT4Q |
| 2014-01-08 7:30 PM in reply to: spearit |
Veteran 312 Austin | Subject: RE: run or tri? I like running because you can just put your shoes on and run. But, in the last few years to get the weight off I started biking and swimming. At first I sucked a big one on the swim. Now because of injuries from running biking and swimming are my favorite part of Tri's and I lost 25 lbs. I think it is a personal choice, but the older I get the more I prefer swimming and biking. In Austin we can almost bike and run all year long. Crashing, deer, and cars are safety issues in cycling. I try to be careful. I have put day blinking lights on my bike both front and rear. I am riding more rural roads, with the explosive growth in Austin traffic is becoming an issue on some heavily used bike routes. Constant awareness, riding in groups, and common sense are key. Achilles and knee issues tick me off. Shoes are cirtical in running. |
| 2014-01-08 8:22 PM in reply to: fnkyhd |
Expert 2192 Greenville, SC | Subject: RE: run or tri? Originally posted by fnkyhd last summer the sprint was fun, sort of...except for the swim. but after doing it and coming in 4th in the 5k portion I realized where my strength lies (and wallet) so ive been focusing on running. I am trying to decide whether to do an Olympic or two this summer. lactate-wise I am fine but not sure what to do about the expensive bike portion. I could stick with my commuter bike and judge myself solely on the run split, or try to compete by spending a lot of dough on a fast bike. there is probably a middle option...aero wheels?...or I could just do some marathons. :? sounds like you want to and are focusing on what you are best at. that means you must be a little competitive by nature... then when talking about Oly's you say you would judge yourself soley on the run portion. why not just enter a 10k. it would be cheaper and you would be able to put out a better effort than struggling through a swim and a really long bike portion on a commuter. if you like running do running. if you think you like swimming and cycling also then give some other triathlons a chance, but don't do triathlons just to see how to compare to other triathletes on the run. its not for everyone, and that's ok. |
| 2014-01-08 10:47 PM in reply to: fnkyhd |
Veteran 360 Waukegan, IL | Subject: RE: run or tri? So I didn't read everyone's responses....but here's my opinion. My strength is also in running. I'm a younger male (less than 30) and like running so much, that I want to be able to do it for a LONG time. I use tri to try and extend that. I run a lot over the winter and fall (October-May) and then incorporate a lot more biking and swimming through the summer. Hopefully with the thought of extending the life of my joints through a short time of less stress. Once I learned to be "ok" at the swim, I started to enjoy tri more. If you want to keep doing tris because they're fun, find a used road bike for less than $1k and use that. I use a lower end cyclocross bike for tris and do fairly well (top 10%-15%) on the bike. It's mostly about the engine. If you don't like tri, don't do it. The important thing is that you do something to stay healthy. Good luck! - Joel |
| 2014-01-08 11:41 PM in reply to: The Chupacabra |
| 928 | Subject: RE: run or tri? You're asking this question to a group of committed triathletes, so your answer will be biased towards triathlon. I'm a runner who did a few triathlons last year. I'll keep doing them, but for now I prefer running. I have a cross bike that I use for commuting that is fine for short triathlons. My sister-in-law just uses a mountain bike but she rents a tri bike for races. Do what you enjoy-- there are no rights and wrongs. But in my opinion judging yourself by the run split in the tri doesn't really make sense because triathlon is not simply three separate events combined into one. |
| 2014-01-09 12:23 AM in reply to: fnkyhd |
| 201 Hereford, England | Subject: RE: run or tri? I completed a half marathon in October, and enjoyed it. I was training for a about 10 months for it and only needed to buy two pairs of trainers and I had all the other gear. I've been training for 1 week for my tri in July, so far I'm enjoying it more. I brought my bike for £400 (Giant Defy 5) and a pair of swimming goggles (£6). Yes it's more expensive to begin with, but after the tri I will still have a bike. But as with everything in life, it's a personal choice. |
| 2014-01-09 6:23 AM in reply to: reecealan |
| New user 560 Key West | Subject: RE: run or tri? Originally posted by reecealan I searched for one that was simply runner vs triathlete but couild only find ultra runner vs ironman triathlete. This is still pretty funny, it's six minutes and change long but funny. My favorites are the triathlete vs cyclist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBw39uCT4Q That was hilarious, and so right on. Thanks for the link |
| 2014-01-09 7:58 AM in reply to: topolina |
Pro 5755 | Subject: RE: run or tri? Been running for 34 years, and after starting with triathlon I found out how much fun cycling can be. Marathons are a lot of fun, but I'm realizing now that running is much harder on the body than swimming and cycling. The biggest expense for cycling is obviously the bike, but, unlike running shoes, you (hopefully) won't be buying a new one every 2 months. If you spent $3,500 on a bike and held onto it for 5 years, you would likely spend as much in running shoes in that same time period. |
| 2014-01-09 10:18 AM in reply to: fnkyhd |
| 43 | Subject: RE: run or tri? thanks a lot everyone. i couldn't have hoped for more thoughtful responses! some of my questions are silly and only i can answer them, but all the info i can get goes in to whatever i choose and helps me make better decisions. good point about judging myself on the run split. that is not fair. i am hoping in a HM or Oly the swim group will get more spread out than in the sprint and i wont get punched so much, but that's OT.  |
| 2014-01-09 10:30 AM in reply to: fnkyhd |
Pro 5755 | Subject: RE: run or tri? Originally posted by fnkyhd thanks a lot everyone. i couldn't have hoped for more thoughtful responses! some of my questions are silly and only i can answer them, but all the info i can get goes in to whatever i choose and helps me make better decisions. good point about judging myself on the run split. that is not fair. i am hoping in a HM or Oly the swim group will get more spread out than in the sprint and i wont get punched so much, but that's OT. Embrace the washing machine. A lot of it is venue-dependent, but you do sort of learn to just deal with it, or at least not be so surprised when it happens. No question is too silly for here. And the reality is, as long as you're having fun, that is what is most important. Never beat yourself up for making a mistake, that's how you learn, and it's going to happen. It's safe to say that if you do enough races, you'll get your share of "doh" moments. |
| 2014-01-09 11:00 AM in reply to: fnkyhd |
| 265 Denver, Colorado | Subject: RE: run or tri? We're a group of triatheletes, so chances are we'll suggest that. Post this on a running forum and chances are they'll suggest running. We sound very similar. In my first duathlon nobody passed me on the run and I finished in the top 10% of my age group for that split. Then every single person I passed and more passed me on the bike...not because I was burned out or didn't conserve energy-but because I just plain stink at it. I got passed by Walmart bikes, carbon frames, and the most heart breaking as a girl (in very good shape) that had a punk basket on her commuter. The point is they trained very well, you can still finish and compete a high level with less than the best bike. It comes down to training an commitment. I do tris because running just destroys my body these days. It's a fun way to maintain my overall fitness and broaden my workout types, keeping my training fresh. Good Luck! |
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