It is Time for Women to Try Tri

This week I am taking a break from race reports to put in a good word for the Jersey Girl Triathlon, which is coming up on Sunday. This is a great starter race for women who want to see if triathlon is for them.

We need more women in triathlon! Triathlon is great for your health, even better than doing just one sport; cross training in three sports uses more muscles and that strengthens the body and prevents against injury. Moreover, it is a lot of fun.

But many women who are interested can feel intimidated to try triathlon. Let's tackle some misconceptions:

MYTH: Triathlon is extremely hard and the distances are crazy long

FACT: There are many distances for triathlon, and the shortest distance --the sprint-- is the most common. Many women come to triathlon from running. If that is you, think of it this way, a sprint tri can be finished in a lot less time than it takes to run a half marathon. Whatever sport you enjoy, if you can exercise for an hour and a half (even at a modest pace), you are totally ready to train for a sprint triathlon. Here are the basic tri distances:

• Sprint* distance = 500 meter swim (that's ten laps -down and back-- in a pool), a 10+/- mile bike, and a 3.1 mile run (aka a 5k)
• Olympic* distance = 1,500 meter swim (that's a mile, or about 30 laps in a pool), a 20-25 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run (aka a 10k) 

Don't get intimidated when you hear people talking about Ironman distances, which are much longer than sprint and olympic. Many avid triathletes never do them, and that doesn't make them creampuffs, either. Ironman distances are for athletes in great condition who have time to put in many hours per week of training. Most people just don't have that kind of time. Start with a sprint distance tri and if you feel like moving up someday in the future, you can. 

*Race distances in triathlon are generally less consistent than for other sports, such as running. The olympic distance bike may be as many as 16 miles, or as few as 8. Swim distances can vary, and the swim in any race is a tricky thing to measure. Moreover, your route won't be a perfect straight line anyway. The run sections are generally precise, however. 

MYTH: Triathlon is only for thin, pretty, super athletic ladies

FACT: Triathlon is for everyone. Every shape and size is represented at every tri. Of course there are thin and muscular folks, but there are even more people with bodies that didn't fall out of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Looking around in the set up (transition) area at a triathlon you will see everyone there, and it's not at all unusual to see someone who looks like she would be a slow mover breezing past a skinny minnie. 

MYTH: If one of the three sports isn't your favorite thing to do, there's no point in signing up

FACT: Almost every triathlete has one sport they feel less enthusiastic about, but if you are reading this, you probably realize there may be something satisfying about embracing the challenge. You can make peace with your less favorite sport even if you never totally love it. Finding friends to do your weak sport with can make it easier: join a masters swim team, attend a few weekly rides sponsored by your local bike shop, find a multisport club in your area that has group runs. There is something for people of every athletic ability. And if you are a loner by nature, then enjoy the solitude of the pool laps or the peaceful solo ride. 

MYTH: It takes tons of expensive equipment to do triathlon

FACT: You can buy fancy equipment if you want to, but you can get by with a few basics that you probably already own: a pair of sneakers, a swim suit, goggles, water bottle, shorts and a wicking T-shirt, a sport bra, good socks, a bike and helmet. You can get all these at Walmart or Target on the cheap if you don't already have them, and if you are really broke, borrow things or try craigslist or freecycle.com. For the bike, anything will work, including grandma's beach cruiser, your clunker mountain bike in the garage, the neighbor's road bike she doesn't use and can loan you. 

If you like triathlon, you can save and trade up for something nicer in the future, but you don't need to be fancy. Once you have a bike, you need about $20 to get it serviced at a local bike shop to make sure it is road worthy. You will need to find a place to swim, but a YMCA or local masters swim team shouldn't break the bank. At some point you will need to pick an inexpensive local triathlon to get you started, and register early for the best rate (you can find ones for $60). You certainly don't need a heart rate monitor and an ultra light racing helmet to participate in triathlon.

MYTH: Ain't nobody got time to train for a triathlon

FACT: Good health takes a bit of time, but if you have some modest fitness already, you don't need more than 45 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week to train for a tri; and the health benefits are worth it. If you are out of shape, you will need to start with something like a Couch to 5k program (buy the phone app) to get to basic fitness. If you already workout, you just need to begin switching up your activities to include the sports you don't do yet. Put some extra time in on the bike because proportionally it comprises the longest segment of every triathlon. If you aren't a confident swimmer, get in the water as much as possible to build familiarity and comfort levels.

Convinced that you want to try a tri yet? If you are a woman and looking for a good starter triathlon, consider Jersey Girl Tri in Long Branch coming up on August 2. The swim is short and includes great support for those who are anxious about open water swimming. The bike and run courses are flat and scenic. The whole race is beginner friendly. It's time to give it a tri! 

  

RACE REPORT - NJ State Triathlon 2015

OVERVIEW

NJ State Olympic triathlon, July 19, 2015 had more than 1,700 participants.

NJ State is the largest race in New Jersey and it is the mid-Atlantic qualifier for Nationals. It comprises a two day race weekend, with sprint distance racing on Saturday, and olympic on Sunday. More than 1,700 people participate in each distance.

Sadly, disaster struck the sprint race. It had to be cancelled part way through due to thunder and lightning (some people were finishing, the last wave of swimmers hadn't yet started). Many of my friends were thoroughly disappointed, particularly people who were doing their first tri, but I think CGI Racing made the right call. Safety first. I live ten minutes from the race venue and heard great crashes of lightning.

Friends on my multisport team reported that the race coordinators and USAT officials worked hard to get everyone to safety quickly. Though the storm passed in forty-five minutes or so, it was impossible to restart the race at that point. CGI sent out a letter and posted it to social media later in the day, explaining their reasoning and their plan for handling awards. It would have been nice if they had guaranteed everyone who didn't finish spots for next year, but I suspect that wasn't financially viable.

As for me, I wasn't racing until the next day, so I wasn't directly affected. I had signed up to do the olympic tri months ago, but as race date neared it was clear we'd be in the middle of a massive heatwave. I didn't want to bail on the race altogether, so I emailed the coordinators about five days before hand and asked if I could switch my registration to aquavelo (also called "aquabike" -- basically just the swim and bike portion of the triathlon). They responded within 24 hours and let me change without question.

I do not regret my decision at all. 

Mercer Lake is calm after the triathlon swim was over.
Photo courtesy of Julie Leung.

Although aquavelo seemed like a bit of a cop out, the reality is that the heat was off the charts. By the time I would have been starting the 6.2 mile run, it was already 89 degrees with humidity pushing it to feel like mid 90s. Even if I had been running a lot in recent weeks, I would never have wanted to run in those conditions. My friend, Kathy, managed it, but she's got a stronger training base and many more years of racing under her belt.

My decision was based on the principle that I want to follow through on my goals, but it's self sabotaging to race when there is no joy in it. Aquavelo was a good way to balance those two things. I was able to complete a race I had prepared for, but did it in a way that energized me for more events in the future rather than leaving me demoralized.

Another perk: choosing the aquavelo freed me up to push hard on the bike, knowing I didn't have to save anything in my legs for the run. I loved that.

My bike is a heavy, Bianchi cyclocross with flat pedals and I averaged 18.5mph in high heat. That's my best showing at the 20 mile distance (they had to cut 3 miles off the course at the last minute due to a downed utility pole).

I was lucky to have trained the bike course in high heat and I spent the last month training in high humidity on hills in Cape Cod. These factors provided a major psychological boost that yielded results on race day. As they say: triathlon is 90% physical and the other 50% is mental.

My swim time was mid pack and nothing to get excited over, but I haven't done serious swim training since May. I'll take what I can get.

Julia and me after the NJ State olympic aquavelo, a wise choice.

I was happy to do aquavelo along side my friend and teammate, Julia, who was signed up for it from the beginning. She's a smart one.

RACE REVIEW

This was one of the best organized races I have ever attended. I participated two years ago (also in a heat wave), but it was only the second triathlon I'd ever done, so I didn't realize then how good the race organization was.

They didn't miss a detail. There were plenty of volunteers making sure everything went smoothly from packet pickup to body marking, from parking (for 1,700 participants and their families and friends) to water stations, from getting people through transition to handing out medals. I think this race has more and better volunteers than any other in the region. Considering the heat, I was amazed by how many people came out to cheer the racers on.

THE SWIM

Water temperature in Mercer Lake was 83.7* according to race officials. A few people still opted to wear wetsuits, which meant they were out of medal contention automatically. I didn't get to talk to any of them, but I have to believe they were overheating in the water. Still, people need to race in gear they are comfortable with.

There were 14 waves of swimmers in all, and all of them started on time, which was huge. The waves start five minutes apart, so later waves face higher heat at the temperatures climb on the course. Being in wave 9, I was setting out 45 minutes after the first group. The water temperature wasn't as oppressive as I thought it might be, and things proceeded smoothly.

There was some body contact in the water, but it could have been worse. I did get sklonked in the head at one point, and felt a lot of toe tickling, but I was on an aggressive line and that's the price of doing business.

There was plenty of support on the water and the course was well marked, making sighting straightforward. There were buoys that indicated every 100 meters you had completed, which was a great feature. That made it feel like I was moving forward, making real progress, instead of just paddling into oblivion, which is how longer courses sometimes feel.

*Note: This post has been edited to correct the race temperature originally posted. It was 83.7, not 84.7. 

Leonardo in transition at NJ State, 2015.

TRANSITION

The transition area was on grass this year (different from two years ago) which is generally better. There were assigned spots, organized by bib number, which felt fair and kept chaos at bay. USAT officials were checking that handle bars were sealed and equipment was racked properly. There is a long run out to the road before you get to the bike mount line, but there's no way around it; there's no way to put transition closer to the road because there are trees in the way.

THE BIKE

The bike course is totally flat. When they had to make the last minute change, eliminating the Clarksville Rd. section of the route because of a downed power pole, they cut out the only real hill (heading up to the intersection at Meadow Road).

When you've been training on hills, flat feels fantastic. I was overtaking people on snazzier bikes and taking the turns like I meant business. It was pure fun, really. I can't say the route is all that scenic, and there wasn't much shade, but for central New Jersey it is as good as it gets.

THE RUN

I didn't run, but my friend, Kath, did. I've run the course many times and she and I agree that it is much hillier than the race packet would have you believe. Kath says there were plenty of hydration stations, but that many people had to walk some or even all of it.

From my view at the finish line, cheering people in, it was clear runners were coming off a death march. Again, I recommend aquavelo to anyone who isn't 100% confident about their run training and is facing a race with high heat.

POST RACE

CGI is the only race group I've seen so far that provides a cooling tent after the finish line. You can take off your shoes, leave them outside and walk through jets of ice cold water. This is an awesome feature.

By contrast, the post race food spread is probably the only disappointing thing about the race. It doesn't hold a candle to the food offerings at Delmo Sports events. There were salty pretzels, watermelon and orange slices, but the main items were grilled chicken and veggies in chafing dishes. My friend, Julia, said the chicken was good. I guess everyone is different, but I missed those bagels, danish, scrambled eggs and sausage from Delmo events...CGI could really step it up on the food.

The medals are large and well made, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the competition. But the race shirts run small and are see-through. The design is okay, but I can't see myself ever wearing mine. Also, there was no actual swag in the swag bags. It would have been nice to get a packet of sun screen or a GU or something, but whatever. 

I didn't attend the awards ceremony because I had to get out of the heat and get home, but I heard it went fine.

OTHER NOTES

• There was plenty of water and other hydration at the race. That is no small task with a race this size. 
• There were ample port-o-potties and plenty of tents to sit under for shade. 
• The fitness expo (a place where a lot of races seem to be lackluster these days) had a good showing of vendors.
• I live locally, so can't comment on what it's like for those coming from out of town, but we do have a lot of local hotels to choose from, and I heard rates were decent.
• On a random note, I was puzzled by how swim waves were assigned. It's hard to see why you'd put 25 and under women with the 55 and older women in the same wave. Maybe the idea is to ensure each group has roughly the same number of people in it and that they will then spread out along the course due to differences in ability. Not sure if this helps reduce traffic jams that are bound to happen with 1,700+ racers in the water at once, but if that's the goal, it seems reasonable.
• Although it was good, I may skip this race in years to come, just because it always seems to take place during a heat wave. Weather is a major factor here.

EVALUATION OF THE EVENT = A 

Thanks to my wife who gave me time to train and looked after the kids while Kath and I raced. 

I'm a "Taste Agent" for Skratch Labs this year. 
Their hydration mix is key to my participation 
in triathlon and multisport. 
I wouldn't have applied for sponsorship if 
I didn't believe in their products.
Check them out online.