TRI4ALL - Is Now FULL

Hey Dale,

 I'm interested in joining your group.  I'm 45, married for 14 years, have two boys 11 and 6 and live in Nashville, TN.  I've always been fairly athletic and most recently played local tennis leagues for about 7 years.  A year and a half ago I started racing mtn. bikes for www.TeamNMB.com. 

What got me into triathlon was that a couple of teammates encouraged me to do an Xterra with them last July, the Lock 4 Blast in Gallatin, TN.  I absolutely fell flat on my face!  I panicked during the open water swim and limped through it.  Biking is my strong suite and I've raced that course a few times.   100 yards into the run, my legs cramped up badly and I DNF'd.  I swore I'd never attempt anything like that again.  I love to compete, I train alone, am very self motivated and a month later I found myself thinking, "I'm not going to let that thing (the Xterra) beat me!"  So I joined BT.  Here is my blog http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/training/index-weekly.asp?memberid=71640&year=&month=&day=

I did 9 competitions in 2007, mainly mtn bike races in middle TN.  Besides the Xterra fiasco, I did well in a small off-road tri in October called Jailbreak (www.ColumbiaCyclingClub.com) and I was hooked on tri.  I sent off my subscription to Triathlete magazine.  I completed the Nashville Predators 5k in about 26 minutes.  I didn't start running seriously until the latter half of the year tho and only did about 125 miles, but biked over 1500 (road and mtn).  My swim is still weak, but in the past month or so I've ramped up my swimming efforts and am enjoying it.

In 2008 I'd like to do 13 local competitions if possible.  Six or seven are mtn. bike races, but I'd like to do the Country Music half mary in April, one or two Xterras, and an oly which is the Music City Triathlon on Oct.

My weaknesses are occasional knee pain, again - my swim, also making myself slow down one week a month to recover, and job travels.  I'm 5'11" @ 184.  Race season weight is around 177.  I did hit a few PBs in December tho, one was a half century bikeride and on another day a 25 mi bike and a 5.5 mile run (brick).

As I only have one and a half tri's under my belt, I'm looking for someone to bounce things off of as far as training, pitfalls, etc.

Looking forward to a fantastic 2008!

Terry

Hey Dale,

Thanks for the input!  I did have my gait analyzed last year at a running store and they fitted me with a pair of Sauconys after trying several brands.  Could be all of those years of tennis on hardcourts...  I'll get it checked out if it becomes a performance limiter.

A few months ago I picked up Terry Laughlin's book "Triathlon Swimming Made Easy - The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to Master Open Water Swimming" and that has helped my stroke immensly!

I didn't know there was an oly at FCF.  I've been there a lot and biked there.  I may have to check it out.  I wasn't planning on doing my first oly until Sept.

When we get our group thread going, Heart-Rate zone training is something I'd like to explore.  I've seen the threads and links under "Tri Talk."

Hey Phil, welcome aboard!!!!

Terry

John,

The link you posted didn't work for me.

It is very, very important that the bike fits you well as you will be spending numerous hours on it.  Not to mention spending your hard-earned dollars!  If the bike doesn't fit, you'll be developing pain, possibly injury(ies) and will be dreading each ride.  Think of running in a pair of shoes that are too big or too small.

If you have other contacts in the sport in your area, ask them for names of other bike shops, or start making phone calls from the phone book. 

I bought a road bike from a person whom I didn't know, going on the fact it was a "good deal" and we were similar in height and weight.  After purchasing it, I called and asked a reputable bike shop if I could bring it in and have them fit me to the bike and how much it would cost.  They charged me $25 for the fit.  I did pay an additional $35 for a new stem.  But now the bike fits me pretty well.  That was excellent customer service from that shop; they were laying the groundwork that when I am ready to "move up", I'll shop there again.  Which I most certainly will. 

Things the shop will look at is the angle of your knee-bend at the bottom of your pedal stroke and even the angle of your feet when clipped into your pedals.  They should look at the "cockpit" which is the angle of your back in relation to your reach to the handlebars and finally the placement of your hands on each position of the handlebars.

They may, or you can ask them to, take a quick look at the bike itself as far as the condition of the chain (broken chain = DNF), the fine tuning of the gears (front and rear derailleurs and shifing cables) brakes and brake pads, wear / remaining "life" on the tires, and the headset, which is where the handlebars attach to the bike's steering tube.  Checking each spoke to ensure they are tight wouldn't hurt either, but you can do that.  These are important saftety checks to be looked at when buying a used bike.

I can't tell you if the bike fits you nor am I qualified, but a reputable bike shop can and should go the extra mile for you, the customer.

PM me or post up for the rest of the group if you have any questions and I'll be glad to jump in!

Also, for the rest of our group, I found the book that Dale mentioned at Borders today for $14.95.

Terry

I can see the link now, I think the first link was picking up the period at the end of the sentence.  Looks like a nice bike; worth checking out.

You might want to call a bike shop or two and ask them if that sized frame will fit your height and inseam.  If so and you like the bike, go for it.  Ask them how much for them to check it out and see if they can tailor it to you.  Careful of the shop if they want to replace a dozen parts.

Timmeh! - Trek, Specialized or any of the major manufacturers all make entry level road bikes just like car makers make entry level cars.  Shopping, kicking tires, talking with LBS (Local Bike Shop) staff, friends and fellow tri folks, message boards will educate you on what will suit your needs and your budget.  Personally, I have a Giant OCR3 road bike that I absolutely love.  It is the one I mentioned in the above post that I bought from someone locally.  An example of what you can find at the end of the season like Dale mentioned; I saw an unridden 2007 Giant OCR3 closeout on an LBS floor a few weeks ago for $550.  Sweet deal!  Wish I could have snagged it.

John - About seeing other member's training blogs - When you are in your training log, look for the first icon on the left side that looks like this: 

Click on it and first tab at the top is called "Privacy Settings." Clicking on the checkbox called "Allow Guests of this site to view any logs you have made public."  (If in fact you want others to see your logs.)  willl allow your logs to be seen.

Then, go to the "Friends" tab on the right and add then names of all of us in the group.  Be sure and click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the page!  Viola!  You can see the other training logs!

Everyone - Feel free to take a look at out my Dec. 31st post in my training log - (Hint) Be careful out there riding!

Terry