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Race Decision

cnf2013cnf2013 member
First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker
in Getting in Shape
So I've made it my goal to run a "tri"-fecta this year- three triathlons. I've already registered for two and the third opens registration this Thursday. I'm really torn. I want to register for the Olympic distance instead of the sprint for this third one, since it'll be my last tri for the season. But I don't know if I can do it. The swim is just shy of a full mile and I'm not a good swimmer. And I've never run a 10k before. I'd like to push myself, but I honestly don't know if I'd even make it out of the water. Last year when I ran the Iron Girl the swim was only 600meters and I was sucking in water and air pretty hard the last 150meters. And my ability to train for the swim portion is dictated by the lake temperature here, and since we're still going to get snow for a few more months, I might only get a solid month of swim training in if I'm lucky. 

Also, to help motivate me, I plan to order a custom shirt for myself. Anyone know of a good site I can customize a colored tank top however I'd like with no minimum order and that won't cost a million dollars? Custom Ink has a 6 shirt order minimum and VP only offers white t-shirts. Although, I did whip this up on there just in case.


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Re: Race Decision

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    cevans11cevans11
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    I say do it, but I'm probably not the most sane when it comes to tri's. I just registered for my second half iron. 

    I will say that Oly is a totally doable distance, with the right training. And good training for that distance doesn't have to take over your life. Search online for a olympic distance training plan, and it should give you a good idea of the training involved. There are some really great free training plans available online. Also, check out trifuel.com. The forums there are super welcoming of newbies, and full of advice (it's been a little dead recently, but I'm hoping things will revive with the season this year). They also have some good training plans on the website. I've used the Oly, and half iron free training plans with good results. 

    If you're nervous about the swim in particular, I recommend checking out any  tri clubs, or master's swim clubs in your area. That really helped me with the swim portion. 
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    lovelyheatherlovelyheather member
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    I don't have any suggestions for training, but you can order a single shirt/tank top from Zazzle.  I might do this for myself and my best friend for the 5k we run every summer.
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    lovelyheatherlovelyheather member
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_race-decision?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:8d08ad35-81b9-4160-a933-2c13c320e429Post:2986b918-2a6d-49cc-a4b2-bac488df67aa">Re: Race Decision</a>:
    [QUOTE]Cnf, you'll just have to come to FL and visit me and we can swim together. <strong>I know a lake with a marker quarter mile out, and it hardly ever has gators (but the possibility is a good motivator)</strong>. I used to swim a lot (not racing, just swimming) and after a mile swim I usually wanted a burger, a beer, and a nap. But I think you can practice your way up to it. Is there a gym with an indoor pool you could sign up for to practice?
    Posted by Liatris2010[/QUOTE]

    Yeah that is a good motivator to stay out of the lake!  I am so terrified of alligators and I really don't understand why since I live in Michigan. 
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    cevans11cevans11
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    Lia's right- gators mostly avoid people (I grew up in St. Pete/Sarasota). It's a never a good idea to open water swim alone in any situation though. I know people who do as well, but I think it's irresponsible. 

    Stories of crocodiles in other countries scare me though. 
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    cnf2013cnf2013 member
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    Thanks guys! Lia, I have a weird nervous (read: irrational) fear of water when I can't see the bottom, which also makes swim training difficult. I think I only swam in the lake like three or four times last year. I went to the YMCA once a week for like a month, but they charge me $10 a visit since I'm not a member and when I only want to swim for like 20 minutes, it's hard to jusitfy. I'm hoping I can use the campus pool at the college FI works for. Last year it was closed all summer to get worked on, so I'm fingers crossed on that. 

    I don't forsee the run being too big a challenge. And I don't mind walking part of it if I'm tired. I definitely walked a bit last year, but I'm hoping for my sprint tri's I'll be in good enough shape to run the whole 5k this year. I might just be down on running today since I'm exhausted right now and had a poopy run this morning. 
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    GiaspoGiaspo member
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    I third Zazzle - got H a few cute custom shirts a long time ago, which I'm realizing now I haven't seen since. 

    Unfortunately I can't comment on your tri challenge... but I know what it's like to really want to run a race and not sure you can do it.  cevans11 had a great suggestion to check out the training plan in advance.  You can do it! 

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    freebread03freebread03 member
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    I'm with Kwith-if you want to do it, and you're willing to put the training in, you can definitely do the longer distance.   Part of being an athlete is challenging yourself-think back to your first tri, did you think it sounded long and did you wonder if you could do it?  Probably (at least if you're like me!)  Go for it, and kill it!
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