Newsgroups: rec.sport.triathlon

What are typical events in a summer triathlon?

  Swim
  Bike
  Run

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What are the standard distances?

	          SWIM     |    BIKE       |     RUN
                km     mi  |  km     mi    |   km    mi
                           |               |
Jr. Youth      100m        |  5    3.1     |   1    .62
(7-10 yrs)                 |               |
                           |               |
Sr. Youth      200m        |  12   7.4     |   3    1.9
(11-14yrs)                 |               |
                           |               |
Short          .3-1 .24-.62| 8-25   5-15.5 | 1.5-5  1-3
                           |               |
International  1-2  .62-1.2| 25-50  15.5-31| 5-10   3.1-6.2
                           |               |
Olympic        1.5         | 40            |   10
                           |               |
Long           2-4  1.2-2.5| 50-100  31-62 | 10-30  6.2-19
                           |               |
Ultra          3.2+  2+    | 100+   62+    | 30+    19+
                           |               |
Ironman              2.4   |        112    |        26.2

**************************************************************************

What equipment should I plan to take?

SWIM
  Swimsuit
  Goggles
  Towels (sit on in transition area, dry off, wipe feet)
  Wetsuit
  Swim cap
  Sunscreen
  Petroleum jelly (crotch, nipples, underarms)

BIKE
  Helmet
  Bike shoes
  Socks
  Bike shorts
  Bike jersey/singlet
  Gloves (probably not in a short race)
  Cycling glasses
  Water bottles
  Spare tires/tubes
  CO2 cartridges
  Tool kit
  Floor pump
  Frame pump
  Bike lube

RUN
  Running shoes
  Socks
  Shorts
  Singlet
  Hat/Visor
  Sunglasses

MISC.
  Watch
  Race number
  Race information
  Writing instrument
  Identification/passport
  Money/credit card
  First aid kit
  Fluid replacement drink
  Energy food
  Misc. warmer cloths (tights, jacket, helmet cover, etc.)



**************************************************************************


       WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO TRAIN FOR A TRIATHLON?


       GETTING STARTED

       First things first.  You'll need to gauge your fitness
       level.  Get a physical done by your physician.  Ask yourself
       questions such as, "Do I work out regularly (3 or more times
       a week)?", "How far can I swim/bike/run comfortably?", and
       "Do I have any physical limitations I should be aware of
       (e.g. asthma)?"

       It is important to understand your current fitness level so
       that you can properly train and build onto your fitness
       without becoming injured.  The following sections describe
       how to train for triathlons for people with little or no
       triathlon experience.

       You should determine your training heart rate ranges.
       First, you need to know your maximum heart rate (HRmax).
       You can estimate it using the following formulas:

                      ------------------------------
                       Women:   226 - AGE   = HRmax
                      ------------------------------
                       Men:     220 - AGE   = HRmax
                      ------------------------------

       Now you should find your resting heart rate (HRrest).  This
       can be done by taking your pulse for a few mornings and
       using the average.  From these two numbers you can determine
       you training heart rate ranges using the Karvonen method:

        ----------------------------------------------------------
         (HRmax - HRrest) x (%effort) + (HRrest)  =  HR%effort
        ----------------------------------------------------------


              ----------------------------------------------
               Level    %effort            Training
              ----------------------------------------------
                 I     60% - 70%    Overdistance, Endurance
              ----------------------------------------------
                II     71% - 74%    Endurance, Speedwork
              ----------------------------------------------
                III    75% - 80%    Endurance
              ----------------------------------------------
                IV     81% - 90%    Intervals
              ----------------------------------------------
                 V     91% - 100%   Race
              ----------------------------------------------

       Using the above tables, you will know what your heart rate
       should be for certain types of workouts.  In the beginning
       of your training, you'll mostly be training in the lower
       ranges.  As the races get closer, you'll begin to explore
       the higher ranges of your heart rate.


       A PLAN

       Would you try to build a new home without a floorplan?  You
       don't want to train without a plan, either.  With a plan,
       you know exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals.
       The plan also prevents you from overtraining, which is
       discussed later, and allows you to fit training in around
       other activities and work.  You may want to base your
       training on the amount of time you have to work out.
       Instead of trying to run 5 miles over your lunch hour, you
       may want to plan on running 40 minutes and not be late for
       your 1:00 meeting.  Know how hard or easy you want to work
       out - use your heart rate to make yourself work harder or to
       keep yourself from working too hard.

       Your plan doesn't need to be detailed, but it should be
       flexible for those unplanned for instances.  Keep a training
       log with notes of what you did each day and how you felt.
       You should also write it down so you can compare notes later
       when you create a plan for next season.  The following
       sections divide up the season into 5 parts: Base, Intensity,
       Peak, Race, and Recovery.  After reading these sections, you
       should have a better idea of how to plan your season.


       BASE BUILDING

       Before you start "real" training, you'll want to strengthen
       and prepare your body for the stresses it will need to
       handle.  This is done by doing easy training and slowly
       increasing the amount of time or distance spent swimming,
       biking, and running.  It is not a time to see how fast you
       can run 5 miles or to be hammering in the biggest gears on
       your bike - these types of activities will most likely lead
       to injuries.  This is because it takes longer to build up
       the strength of your ligaments, tendons, and muscles than
       the time it take to build up your aerobic capacity (i.e.
       lungs and heart).  Most of this training should be done in
       heart rate zones I and II.  You should avoid training in
       zone III - in this zone you can build your endurance, but
       your body doesn't recover as well and can become depleted
       over a period of time if you continue to train at that
       level.  Zones IV and V should be avoided until you have
       built up enough strength to handle the higher intensities.

       You can prevent injury by following your plan.  Depending on
       your current level of fitness, Base building can last
       anywhere from 6 weeks to 26 weeks.  Follow the 10% rule -
       never increase the distance more than 10% above the maximum
       distance you have done in the last few weeks.  For example,
       you rode your bike 100 miles last week, you wouldn't want to
       ride more than 110 miles this week.  Base building workouts
       should seem easy, but may leave you tired.  It is important
       to get enough rest and eat properly during this time.  This
       may also be the time to put yourself on a regular schedule,
       fatigue can creep up unnoticed at any time.

       Don't worry about speed or times yet, that is what the next
       period is for.  At the end of the Base period, you should be
       able to easily cover the distances you want to race.  For
       example, if I wanted to do an Olympic distance triathlon
       such as the Sun Times in Chicago, I should be able to swim 1
       mile, bike 25 miles, and run 6 miles.  Even if you can cover
       the distances now, you would still want to have some sort of
       Base period to prevent injuries later.

       Plan on spending more time training in the sports you are
       weaker in.  If you already run 10K's, you'll probably want
       to devote more of your time to swimming and biking.


       INTENSITY

       Now that you have a Base of fitness, you're ready to add
       more Intensity to your workouts.  Again, most of the
       training will be done with your heart rate in zones I and
       II, but now you should also be doing some speedwork and
       intervals where your heart rate goes into zone IV for short
       periods of time.

       To improve performance, push your body just above what it
       can do comfortably, and then allow it to recover.  This
       translates into the hard/easy training method.  If you do a
       hard workout one day, you probably want to take it easy the
       next day or even take the day off as rest.  This will allow
       your body to recover and rebuild, and your muscles will
       become stronger as you adapt to the greater amounts of work.

       Intensity can be achieved in different ways.  You may want
       to try some fartlek work in the beginning - going hard for a
       few minutes when you feel like it.  Or timed intervals - go
       hard for X number of minutes with Y number of minutes rest.
       Running or biking up hills is also a good way to achieve
       Intensity.


       PEAKING

       A few weeks before racing, you should reduce the amount of
       time and distance your training at and concentrate on speed.
       You can do this by doing shorter, more intense workouts.
       Races used as practice are also useful.  Do some short
       cycling time trials or running races, especially if you're
       having trouble motivating yourself to train - they can be
       fun and a good workout at the same time.  You should be
       doing some training in heart rate zones I and II to keep
       your endurance, but a good portion of your training will be
       in heart rate zone IV.

       The idea of peaking is that you have the endurance base
       necessary to finish the race, now is the time to work on
       performance.


       RACING

       Depending on the distance of the race, you need to take a
       few easy days or more to allow your body to be fully
       recovered and refueled for the race.  Everyone is different
       - some people need weeks of rest, others can train right up
       to the day of the race and still perform well.  A good sign
       of how rested you are is your morning heart rate.  If it's
       higher than normal or your legs feel heavy and sluggish, you
       probably should train lightly or not at all in order to be
       prepared fort he race.

       If you're racing every weekend, you really don't need to
       worry about adding much Intensity to your workouts during
       the Racing season.  Races can be your hard workout; train
       lightly to keep active and to keep your endurance between
       races.  If you're not racing much, you need to keep doing
       some hard workouts or race simulation to keep in race-shape.


       RECOVERY

       This period follows the racing season and gives your body
       the time it needs to fully recover from the abuse it took
       from racing.  You shouldn't become a couch potato, or you
       have to start from ground zero next year.  Do easy training.
       Take time to try other sports.  Lift weights to rebuild
       strength in muscles that you do not use swimming, biking, or
       running (e.g. your abdominals).  Don't worry about losing
       some fitness.

       This is also the time to evaluate your plan.  Did you meet
       your goals?  Were they too high or too low?  Start planning
       for next year.  If you were injured, look at your training
       log to find things you should avoid.  (Did you do four days
       of running in a row when you had only been used to doing
       two?)


       SOME FINAL WORDS

       "If God invented marathons to keep people from doing
       anything more stupid, triathlon must have taken Him
       completely by surprise."  - P. Z. Pearce, M.D.

       Just remember, triathlons are only as hard as you make them.
       When many people think of triathlons, they think of the
       Hawaii Ironman, but most triathlons are much shorter and
       can be completed by almost anyone with the proper training.
       Finishing can be a reward in itself.  Just tri it, but be
       wary of Dr. Pearce's warning - more is not always better.
       If you train properly, you'll stay healthy, be competitive,
       and probably end up finding training is just as fun as
       racing.  Good luck!


       REFERENCES

       - Triathlete Magazine (especially June 1991).

       - Rob Sleamaker, SERIOUS Training for Serious Athletes.
----------


**************************************************************************

What should I read?

  Magazines:

    Triathlete Magazine

    Triathlon Today!
    Subscription Department
    P.O. Box 90555C
    Collingswood, NJ  08108
    (313) 662-1000
    FAX: (313) 662-3388
  
    Triathlon Times  (TriFed/USA membership required)
    P.O. Box 15820
    Colorado Springs, CO. 80935
    (719) 597-9090
    FAX: (719) 597-2121

    Triathlete(UK)
    The Apprentice Shop
    Merton Abbey Mills
    Watermill Way
    Wimbledon
    London SW19 2RD
    UK

    Triathlete(Germany)
    Winning International Verlag
    22 Rue de la Concorde
    B-1050 Brussel
    Belgium

    Triathlete(France)
    Winning International
    n 449072 R
    16 place du Havre
    75009 Paris
    France


  Books:

    Ageless Athlete
      by Richard Winett

    Biathlon Training and Racing
      by Ken Souza

    The Complete Triathlon Training Manual
      by Bob Johnson and Patricia Braggs

    Dave Scott's Triathlon Training
      by Dave Scott

    The Fit Swimmer
      by Marianne Brems

    The High Performance Triathlete
      by Katherine Vaz and Barcley Kruss

    Iron Will/Ultimate Challenge
      by Mike Plant

    Mark Allen's Total Triathlete
      by Mark Allen

    The Mental Athlete
      by Kay Porter and Judy Foster

    The Road To Kona Never Ends
      by Dr. Patrick McCary

    Science of Triathlon Training and Competition
      by Glen Town

    Scott Tinley's Winning Triathlon
      by Scott Tinley

    Serious Training for Serious Athletes
      by Rob Sleamaker

    Science of Cycling
      by Ed Burke

    Stretching
      by Bob Anderson

    Training and Racing Biathlon
      by Mark Sisson

    Triathloning For Ordinary Mortals
      by Steven Jonas

    Triathlon - A Triple Fitness Sport
      by Sally Edwards

    Triathlon - Going The Distance
      by Mike Plant

    Triathlon Training and Racing Book
      by Sally Edwards

    The Two Wheeled Athlete
      by Ed Burke

***********************************************************************
Various Adresses:


    Triathlon Federation/USA
    3595 E. Fountain Blvd.
    Suite F1
    Colorado Springs, CO.
		      80910
    Tel 1-719-597-9090
    Fax 1-719-597-2121



    ETU President
    Tom O'Donnel
    101, O'Connel Street
    Limerick
    Irland
    Tel int +35 361 41 88 11
    Fax int +35 361 41 83 12