Anyone ever do a sprint triathlon?

[MissMillie]

I guess it's a .46 mile swim, a 13.75 mile bike ride and a 3.12 mile run.

I'm thinking about spending next year trying to run a 10K, and then the following year gearing up for a sprint triathlon.

I just wondered if any of you ever tried one, and what your experiences were.

Thanks.

[CitySky]

1. YES!

I've done two triathlons so far. The first was 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike flat, and 5K run in April. The second was 800 meter swim, 20 mile bike HILLS, and 6K run a few weeks ago. (Both were considered "sprints" because anything shorter than Olympic distance is a "Sprint." Olympic a/k/a International Distance is 1500 meter swim, 40 km bike, 10K run.)

I LOVE it. Triathlon is my new obsession, and I could talk about it all day. Let me know if you have specific questions. Or, a great site for beginners is www.beginnertriathlete.com - you'll find me there under the same screen name I use here. People in the tri community are really supportive and helpful, especially there. TRI IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!

Also, I think you could do this NEXT year. At the start of this year I couldn't run for 20 minutes and didn't own a bike. To be called a "triathlete," you don't have to finish near the front of the pack... you just have to finish! You can do it.

[MissMillie]

2. I just registered

I'm there... I'll keep my eyes open for you.

I have a million and one questions... mostly about what to wear and how to handle transitions... but I'm just going to read for a while. (Frankly, there's so much there, it's overwhelming.)

[CitySky]

3. ah, yes, a new addiction!

don't get too overwhelmed; we're all just having fun over there! The important parts are swim, bike, run - and stretch, and keep your resistance training up. All the other stuff will come later.

Also it's easy to drop tons of cash on this sport, but you can live without most of the toys for a while. I have a rule that I only purchase one new tri item a month; it means I don't have any gadgets yet and very few clothes (one pair of tri shorts), but it keeps me from breaking the bank.

[MissMillie]

4. tri socks?

they have special socks for this? yikes!

[CitySky]

5. SHORTS.

Yeah, you can drop $12 on socks, but you don't have to. What you're currently running in will do you fine.

But the SHORTS is another matter. That was totally worth it to me. They are similar to bike shorts, except they are designed to dry a lot faster. They have a little chamois to provide some minimal padding, but not a big ole butt pad like the bike shorts (which is flattering on whom, exaclty?)

And, by the way, I hadn't realized about the 90 pounds. Wow! :yourock: