The Perils of Taking Up a New Hobby
Triathlons are a type of hobby, right? At least I think of them that way. Or as perhaps as a drastic way to try and lose weight when diet alone doesn't do it anymore. Yet I am learning that there is something about this triathlon thing that can quickly spiral out of control from a casual pastime to a giant octopus overtaking your life.
When I committed to this rash and insane undertaking I started frequenting the website http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ so that I could figure out what in the world I was supposed to be doing. They have a training log and some plans to help you get going so you hopefully can actually finish the race. They also have a section of articles to clue you in to what goes on in a triathlon.
This is where I entered the big leagues of "tri" learning. Perhaps you are more intelligent that me, but somehow it never occurred to me that there might be an issue of clothing when it came to the race. What's the issue, you ask? Somehow it never actually occurred to me that I don't swim, bike and run in the same clothes. Well, I may bike or run in the same kinds of stuff (currently some of my too-big maternity workout pants and a t-shirt) but I don't generally swim in that kind of stuff, especially after the embarrassing losing my swimsuit experience at the beginning.
So when this finally occurred to me I wondered what people do in the race. Do they head to the locker room after the swim and change? Do they throw some clothes over their swimsuit? Are there changing booths near your bike or something?
Ah, the naivete of the newbie.
Did you know that there is such a thing as a "tri suit?" I didn't. It is some kind of fancy suit that you wear to swim, bike and run in. Aerodynamic and works in the water. They also apparently cost more than $100. {choke}
So what about just wearing my swimsuit on the bike and the run? I guess there are people who do that. I shudder to think of watching grown men zipping past me on a bike wearing only a Speedo, but I guess this isn't unheard of. (Fortunately, after my swim I will probably be concentrating just on breathing so likely I won't have any energy to be grossed out by scantily-clad men.) However, I learned from other women on the site there are two problems with this idea. The first is the boob support issue during the run. Oh, right. My swimsuit doesn't quite do the job. The suggestion is to wear a sports bra under your swimsuit, even for the swim. (That will be interesting.) The second is chafing, and I read that you should have Vaseline with you to smear all over you wherever that might be a problem during either the bike or run. {gulp}
Perhaps I will just keep some shorts and a shirt to toss over my swimsuit when I get my bike. It's not like a couple of extra minutes is going to matter for someone like me, right?
I wonder what other minefields I am going to have to navigate in this scary frontier of triathlon preparation.
When I committed to this rash and insane undertaking I started frequenting the website http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/ so that I could figure out what in the world I was supposed to be doing. They have a training log and some plans to help you get going so you hopefully can actually finish the race. They also have a section of articles to clue you in to what goes on in a triathlon.
This is where I entered the big leagues of "tri" learning. Perhaps you are more intelligent that me, but somehow it never occurred to me that there might be an issue of clothing when it came to the race. What's the issue, you ask? Somehow it never actually occurred to me that I don't swim, bike and run in the same clothes. Well, I may bike or run in the same kinds of stuff (currently some of my too-big maternity workout pants and a t-shirt) but I don't generally swim in that kind of stuff, especially after the embarrassing losing my swimsuit experience at the beginning.
So when this finally occurred to me I wondered what people do in the race. Do they head to the locker room after the swim and change? Do they throw some clothes over their swimsuit? Are there changing booths near your bike or something?
Ah, the naivete of the newbie.
Did you know that there is such a thing as a "tri suit?" I didn't. It is some kind of fancy suit that you wear to swim, bike and run in. Aerodynamic and works in the water. They also apparently cost more than $100. {choke}
So what about just wearing my swimsuit on the bike and the run? I guess there are people who do that. I shudder to think of watching grown men zipping past me on a bike wearing only a Speedo, but I guess this isn't unheard of. (Fortunately, after my swim I will probably be concentrating just on breathing so likely I won't have any energy to be grossed out by scantily-clad men.) However, I learned from other women on the site there are two problems with this idea. The first is the boob support issue during the run. Oh, right. My swimsuit doesn't quite do the job. The suggestion is to wear a sports bra under your swimsuit, even for the swim. (That will be interesting.) The second is chafing, and I read that you should have Vaseline with you to smear all over you wherever that might be a problem during either the bike or run. {gulp}
Perhaps I will just keep some shorts and a shirt to toss over my swimsuit when I get my bike. It's not like a couple of extra minutes is going to matter for someone like me, right?
I wonder what other minefields I am going to have to navigate in this scary frontier of triathlon preparation.
Comments
I would totally sport the sports bra under the suit!
It's a 400m swim, then a 10 mi bike, and a 5k run.
My hat goes off to you... I was so ready to cross that finish line after my 5k. I would have to really train hard to be able to bike and swim too. I'm afraid the swimming would kill me though. I'm excited for you!
I say wear a sports bra too. Good luck,and you will do great!