thehammerdog

Going to try the local tri again in town. Nice local short 1/4 mile swim 10 mile ride 5K run. Lake community so I can use lake to train, I already ride and will know the course very well. I run like a fat fellow but I have until late July so 2 months to lose weight and not be the Obese Old fella in tights,
Lake Mohawk NJ is the location,

Ptcycles

Did my only sprint at age 57. I love to bike so I trained hardest on the bike and only marginally swimming and running. Come to find out you use a different set of muscles, swimming and running. Biking doesn't challenge those muscle groups, so train hardest swimming and running. I also thought I would run out of steam if I pushed too hard on any leg of the race. Not so. Give each section 100%. Be happy to finish strong. I will try again in two years at age 67.
Good Luck

Phil_gretz

I lived with a friend and his family for the summer at Lake Mohawk in 1979. Actually, I think that the town was Sparta. We lived off East Shore Trail, right on the lake. Sailed snipe class with the lake club there. Great small town and a very chilly lake due to its depth. Good luck.

roundrocktom

It sounds like you've done these before, so nothing to add.

For anyone new who is thinking about it:
Lots of open water swimming, totally different from pool swimming. I roll onto my back and do backstrokes, works fine on calm waters or in a pool to relax. Open water I ended doing about 400M of breaststroke and nearly died of exhaustion. River currents and wind added to horrible conditions.

Bike - everyone gets this.

Run. Not sure where to start, look for a program called Couch to 5K.

Going from biking to running is called "the brick." Yes, my legs felt like bricks.

I'm still a noob to this swim-bike-run stuff, but having fun staying in shape. Just don't like getting up at 4:30 AM to get a parking spot and checked in. I am looking forward to Santa Cruz in August. First ocean swim, what could go wrong?

roundrocktom

Yesterdays work out.
Bike I use in the avatar. Three wheels, so three times to chance to hit a nail!
Training day, so swim 100 yards. Rest think about what I am doing (remember to breath, stretch, and glide). Often I forget to breath!

I have Parkinson's, but doesn't stop me from swim-bike-run events

thehammerdog

Thanks.
I live in Lake Mohawk and yes it's a nice place. The race is about 10 yrs old now and a great event.
I swim like a rick.
Come on back the Lake Mohawk area is fantastic lots of cool places to eat and drink.
Scott

ribikeguy

I did my first sprint three years ago and was hooked! I’ve done 10 of them now, Olympic in August, 70.3 next year, then full 140.6 when I’m 49, want to do a full before I’m 50!

roundrocktom

Fantastic. I've met a 76-year-old who started when they retired at 65. Just amazing. Keep on moving!

What is your "goto" food/drink for the events? With a Sprint I don't have to worry about fuel, just enough electrolytes to keep everything running smoothly.

TheRiles

Good on you! I've been doing them for about 3 years now.

glenncz

OK, I'm in. I'm sixty and have been doing doing it all for 35 yrs. Not so good with running anymore though, possibly because I have mild COPD of maybe it's just age. Luckily i have a nice 100yd pond closeby I can swim in I did about 5 or 6 Tris about 15 years ago, but have been only riding the bike hard the past 6 yrs. (2200 miles last yr). After a swim last the Tri though started eating on my brain and after a swim tonight I thought, let's look up a Sprint. I'll have no trouble with the bike part, and I should be able to easily handle the 300 yr swim and with some effort the 3 mile run(but i don't like running on macadam). One of my problems I've had is sore feet with running, so i've only been running on dirt, but that seems to have gone away this past year since I moved and don't have to carry firewood anymore.
In any event looking forward to a short Tri in a month will put a little "zest" in my training..

Mikenobike

Good luck and have fun!

thehammerdog

Tomorrow I RACE!!!! ALL packed up gonna drink and stretch tonight up early get there by 6:00am luckily 1 mile down the road so not to shabby. I got ear plugs and a compression top to wear in water and for entire race to hide the big soft untanned belly.
Wish me well. I hope to be in top 10% on bike route so time will tell 300 people signed up.

texaspandj

So, How did it go?

OhioJTrek

+1

thehammerdog

Well, not as well as I would have liked. This fella did not swim well (last swim was 4-5 yrs ago) and figured I could fake it but I could not. Swam like a rock, panic, thought I would drown but survived 1/4 mile swim, rode OK but was wiped out from swim, ran poooooorly 30 plus mins for 5K/..But all in all learned that need to actually train .
Swimming is no joke

roundrocktom

You didn't drown and a bonus point for biking and running.

For swimming, I went from freestyle to back stoke (time to catch my breath and relax) then back to freestyle. Open water swimming is a whole new challenge. I missed the turn buoy and kept heading out into the lake until a Kayak spotted me. Still, you had fun, and that is the biggest thing. Training and open water swim are good things.
Wet suit and gear packed — Ready for my next adventure.

_ForceD_

hammnerdog...
I'm not slamming you, but using your experience as yet another example. Congratulations on finishing! So often I tell people who tell me that they're signing up for XX triathlon...and they figure they can survive the "short" swim and muscle their way through it..."you MUST get experience in the open water!" Just yesterday an acquaintance told me a similar story about a friend of their's, an accomplished team/pool swimmer, who had a terrible time getting through the "short" open water swim at a recent sprint tri. Whether it's lack of proper swimming technique, fear and apprehension about swimming in open water, or swimming in such close proximity (full-contact) of other swimmers...the swim is by far the most commonly misconceived discipline among first-time triathletes. Even for experienced pool swimmers.

Dan

thehammerdog

Dan,
I get the message and agree how ever Not a Newby to the sport did 1st Tri in 1986.....competed in the St Anthonys Tri Iron qualifier A 1 MILE OPEN WATER (ocean) swim in 90's for me I just forgotten how dam difficult it is to swim well.