Come On Try and TRI!! Here in Denton July 6th
As most of you know I use biking as weight loss and training to do a Triathlon every summer. I am doing the TWU Pioneer Triathlon again this year. It's July 6th. Sunday Morning. You should come try it. 300 Meter Pool swim, that's easy only 6 laps indoor pool( takes 6-8 minutes for most people), then 13.6 Mile bike ride out North East of Denton I think the same route out as the HCTT(45 minutes at B Minus group pace of 15 mph). And the finally of 3.3 mile walk two laps around TWU campus. I call it the walk in the shade. Run if you like. Total time is less than 2 hours, even if you walk the run. You will be done by 9AM. http://www.ironheadrp.com/pioneerPowerSprint/index.html to register by June 12th to get discount rate. Even if you aren't going to enter, come watch. It's a great way to come see a Triathlon up close, here in our own town of Denton. They are expecting close to 400 people this year. The $ benefit the TWU soccer team. You have a month to get ready, no excuses! email me at jweston@microsoft.com if you have questions. Thanks B Minus rider John Weston

Hmmm....I know I can swim without drowning...not sure about the two laps ;) I just might give this a whirl, based on being done by 9. Church is at 10... Are TRIs always on Sundays, or just most of the time?

I plan on doing this race. It will take the winners about an hour to do the entire course. I imagine most people will take about 1.5 hours to do the race. It's a perfect distance for a first triathlon.

help the newb...has anyone done this one before? How are the transitions? Please bear in mind that the closest I've ever been to a triathlon is watching the bike leg of Hawaii :) And...what's the biggest newbie mistake, aside from forgetting shoes/helmet?

I haven't done this race before, but I've done about 50 that are similar. I really like the variety of triathlon. Biking has evolved to be my favorite part, which works out well since it's generally the longest part of a race. I would say there are two things that are important for a first race or any race for that matter. 1. Don't go too hard too early. Some of the best advice I've read says to think of triathlon as one race not three seperate events. Swim at a comfortable pace the entire time. Start out a bit slower than race pace on the bike. If you feel good pick it up especially since it's probably where you feel the most comfortable. Do the same thing on the run. It feels weird to get off the bike and start running. I felt like I hade a 2x4 between my legs after I got off the bike in my first race. The tendency is to go too fast out of the transition area (more about transition later). If you feel good pick it up after the first half mile or mile. It's worked for me. In my last race I had the 19th fas-*test*-('") swim, 7th fas-*test*-('") bike, and 10th fas-*test*-('") run. However, I finished 5th overall. Some might say a sprint race, like the one at TWU calls for all out effort the whole time. There is SOME validity to that but play with that on a second or third race. 2. Check out the entire course the day(s) before the race. It helps so many things. The transition area is a place where a lot of time and energy are wasted. Find out where the exit from the pool to the transition is going to be, and where the bike and run entrance and exits are located. I then usually drive the bike course and walk/run the run course. I didn't pre drive a course last year and wound up going the wrong way for about a mile on the bike. They are generally well marked, but it's helpful to know the course in case a volunteer forgets to tell you turn. The night before I think of every event and all of the things I'll need for each one (goggles for the swim, helmet and shoes for the bike, etc...). It helps me to pack and for planning out how race day is going to go. I have everything packed and ready to go the night before and get to the event site as soon as it opens in the morning. It gives you plenty of time to lay out your stuff in the transition area. It also generally means you will be able to pick a prime spot. During the race, be quick and efficient in the transitions. Don't let your heart rate get jacked up, it will just make it harder to get your helmet strap fastened, get your shoes on, etc... It slows you down and zaps your energy. It can also be helpful to practice the transition at some time before the race. These are couple of things that have worked well for me. Let me know if you have any questions. btw-I got the tube, tire irons, and patch kit. The tube is now on my tri bike. Hopefully it will bring me luck. Thanks! Jamie

Do you use the same transition area for T1 and T2? Seems like you would. How is the swim part set up when using a pool? All I've ever seen is the open water, around the bouy thing... Is the transition area blocked off from public view for changing into suitable attire for the next leg? Dallas "Tri-Fred" Bikr

Yes I did this one last year. The transition area is outside in a parking lot. NOT a place to change close, plan on swimming in the shorts you plan to ride/run in. They will throw you out for nudity. Here is how they did the swim last year. When you register you need to know accurately how long it takes you to swim 300 yards. They put you in order fas-*test*-('") to slowest. I put 5:50 on my form, I was about 50th out of 300 swimmers. I swam it in 5:54. Meeting of competitors is outside before race by transition area. Then the move inside to the pool. put you in number order. They start the fas-*test*-('") person. on the East end of the pool, they swim down in lane one, move over to lane two and do a lap. After the lap, you move over to lane 3, etc,etc. When you get to the last lane you just swim to the end and get out. You have done your 6 laps. You always swim on the left of the lane. Next person enters about 10 seconds behind you, usually 4 people in one lane at any time. You have to "jump" no diving to start. I only had one person pass me in the swim, only bumped into one person. much easier than the open water bashing. Then it's about a 200 yard run from the pool to the transition area.

Hmmmm.....the sprint tri's I've done in the past were done in opposite order of a "normal" tri. We did the run first, then the bike and the swim was last. That keeps the pool fairly empty. By the time the swmming comes around, the participants are usually spread out quite nicely, with the faster guys getting to the pool while most of the others are still out riding. We hardly ever have more than 3-4 folks in the pool at any one time. We did follow the same pattern, with the outside lanes 2 way and then cross under the ropes on the inside lanes, but we did 12 laps in the 25 meter natitorium pool. The transition will be clearly marked telling you where you will have to dismount the bike and start running (no riding!) to put your bike up and also you cannot ride out of the trans area until you've crossed the line. The bike area is usually well protected and noone except participants are allowed in the transition area once the race starts. The Tri4Life races were well organized and computer chip timingis available which will record your race times as well as your transition times. These tris really are alot of fun and areover with fairly early. Yes, they are mostly on Sunday mornings, and they usually come equipped with drinks and bagels and such.

Thanks all....I believe I will come be a spectator before I decide to participate :) No idea what my swim time is...have to figure that out sometime... Good luck to all that do the event!