I would love to try that. Am a swimmer. Not much of a runner though. What kind of mtb gear can you swim, run and bike with?
You asked a very important question.
For those who are trying a sport the first time, the podium is out of the question.
Our first concern should be... how to look good!
On my first tri race, I would probably wear something that people will remember me by.
Maybe a neon baggy pants.
And how about my blingy mtb with spinning windmills and balloons?
Will that get me disqualified? Sort of a nuisance candidate?
I will prefer to join the elite category! So that I don't have to make a lot of excuses!
I will intimidate eveybody by concentrating and looking far like I'm there!
I hope I don't finish last in the first part,
because...
The harder part for me is the bike part.
Racers are fast.
I see them every Sunday.
I tried my darnest to catch up.
At my current level, skill at 0%, strength at 10%, ambition at 99%, it's just too frustrating.
I asked the roadies how fast they are going, and they say: "Oh! We're just warming up at 40". I check my pace at around 25.
Yes, feels like I'm going backwards when they pass me by.
And then there's the hardest part:
Running.
That is something I have never done, run a full 3Kilometer.
With an aging back and aging limbs and a 16-year-old-heart, I don't know what kind of training will take me and where...
The major benefit of joining the elite category is...
by the time I arrive the finish line (if ever) people would have left the scene. And nobody will question my standing. Elite yong category e!
No other excuses needed.
Which reminds me of a race 2 decades ago...
(spinning stars and twirling sound effects please)
I joined a swimming meet at YMCA and there were only the 2 of us competing in the adult category.
Both of us were technically disqualified, but since it was a fun race sponsored by the club, they turned a blind eye.
I was over-aged and the other contestant was a gintong-alay trainee.
The 50 meter freestyle sprint was a category nobody wanted to join, because you can get smoked by a mile.
I knew I was gonna be smoked but hey, this was more a show than a real race, so I eagerly got my feet wet just the same.
When we both stepped on the starting board, we both laughed.
The referee blew the horn canister to signal the start.
We both doved like dolphins.
I swam with all brute strength from the very start,
splashing water all over like life and death situation.
I can see we were head to head on the first 5 seconds...
By the time I reached the 25 meter mark, the other guy finished the race (how it happened, beats me, I was inhaling water halfway down the length of the race).
By the time I flipped and pushed my way back for the final 25 meter toward the finish side, the other guy has finished his 50m, got his shorts on and was towelling off.
What made it so memorable was:
Everybody cheered when I got up from the pool, groggy and choking.
My buddies (the whole town) complemented how graceful I dove and got head to head with the Gintong-Alay swimmer on the first 12 meters...
I was congratulated as if I were the champ... ;D
the hardest part really is having the balls to wear those body hugging suits ;D
your balls will definitely show
On the contrary, the balls shrink. When you stay in the waters long enough, or if the water's cold, the whole package shrinks, including "Peter" (not the pimp).
Beginner's tri usually 400m swim/10km bike/ 3km run
You dont even have to run , you can always walk
It helps if you belong to a club
Hmm... a beginner's tri is doable!
Last month I tried swimming again after a 10 year hiatus (spent time in the sport of parenting), it was darn frustrating.
The memory is there. How to do this and that.
The problem is, after 10m, my arm/legs/heart tires out.
The muscles are not there, zero stamina.
Which goes to show that if you don't use it, you lose it.
I'll have to make a program for myself to get my form back.
Anybody who's in the neighborhood and would like to join me,
just give me a holler.
It's no fun training alone. I always win by myself. ;D