Am I crazy to be considering this?

[tylersmama]

A friend asked me to think about doing a triathlon with her this summer. Neither of us is in what I would consider to be "triathlon" shape, although I'm probably a little better off than she is. I'm really intrigued by this idea, but have some concerns. It would be a half mile swim, 20k bike, and a 5k run.

1. I don't swim. I mean, I know how, and I won't drown, but I don't have good form and have never swum(swam?) any kind of distance at all.

2. DH travels for work pretty much every week, so I don't have anyone to watch DS while I train, which runs right into my next concern,

3. The cost. I would have to buy a bike trailer and/or jogging stroller($$$$$) so I could have DS with me while I train for the bike/run portions. I would most likely have to join a gym with daycare ($$$) to work on swimming since my local rec center only has childcare for children who are walking.

4. DH does not seem to be supportive of the idea. I brought it up this weekend while he was home and he thought it was kind of dumb. He doesn't get the point of doing something just to say you accomplished it. I brought up our friends who recently did a half-marathon and he said, well, they like to run. Nobody LIKES to run 13 miles, they do it because it's a goal! He also doesn't want me to spend a lot of money on this (see #3).

The pros: my friend wants to train together and is willing to trade baby watching (she has a 9 month old) so we can train for swimming if necessary (BUT she lives on the other side of town, half an hour away from me); we are getting a pretty significant tax return which would help with the cost; this is definitely something that I've thought about in the back of my head but never seriously thought I would have the opportunity; and finally, this may be the best time to do something like this if I want to...I will probably be ttc #2 sometime at the end of the year or early next, so it would be at least a couple more years before it would be realistic to think about doing something like this again.

So that's my loooong story (thank you for still reading, if you've made it this far! :) ). Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated!

[AddiesMom]

My BIL was an extreme marathon runner (100 mile races, triple iron-mans, etc) and when he passed away in Dec we realized that there are a bunch of message boards and blogs for extreme running. Turns out he was very well known on all of these sites, some as far away as Australia.

I would just Google for different message boards and ask people who are in the marathon running community. It is very tight-knit and supportive and you may get some good advice from other people who were in your same situation. I would also research if there are any running clubs in your area.

[ast96]

Last spring, I trained for and completed the Danskin Triathlon for Women. I was trying to lose weight for my tenth college reunion, and my gym (which does have childcare) has a class specifically for triathlon training, which helped enormously.

It was just about the best thing I have done for myself in a very long time.

I have never been "athletic." I could swim, but I had never been on an adult bike and I am NOT a runner -- I have bad knees and ankles. But the class was full of other m oms like me, and the Danskin is a great first-time triathlon full of women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and histories.

I trained from February until the race in May, mostly once a week. I never did a practice open swim and I never got but one practice session on a bike I borrowed from a friend. And I was FINE. Now, the Danskin is a bit smaller -- 400 yards of swimming, 9 miles of biking, 2 miles of running, and mine was through Walt Disney World. So it was not as long as the one you are thinking about. But I still felt that my weekly training class, which was 90 minutes long and consisted of a half hour swim, half hour on spinning bikes, and a half hour of running, was harder than the actual triathlon.

I would encourage you to look up sites like trinewbies.com and check them out. I wouldn't worry about getting a bike trailer and things like that unless you plan on biking a lot in the future. I would rent or borrow a bike (local bike shope rent bikes for triathlons) and put your money into the gym with childcare. There I would look for a trainer who does triathlons and can give you guidance. It is SO worth it. For the first time in my life, I felt like an athlete. It was so nice to have an hour to myself at the gym to listen to my Ipod and do something good for me. I think all moms need that kind of thing. And not only did I lose the remainder of my baby weight, I lost ten pounds more.

The Danskin itself was so inspiring. There is a whole wave in the race of survivors of breast cancer. It is amazing to see these women swimming and biking and running beside you. Everyone was cheering each other on. And it didn't matter what time you finished with -- everyone finished. The whole point was to do it, to be out there, to be doing something for us.

This year I am pregnant again, but next year? Look out. I plan on doing the Danskin every year after this.

Hope to help.

[tylersmama]

Thanks for the advice! It would be a Danskin triathlon, but it sounds like the one in my city is twice as long as yours. I think it would be a no brainer if it was half the distance! :)

I will check out the website you mentioned. I do have a bike (a mountain bike, but I definitely could use it for the tri). DH is against joining a gym because we've had gym memberships in the past and they tend to be a waste of money for us since we rarely use them. But if I could get away without the bike trailer, that might not be as big an issue, especially if I could go month to month. I have been an athlete in the past (volleyball, basketball, softball), but never like this.

I emailed a friend who did the same triathlon last year to ask for her thoughts as well. She's also a mom, although her kids are a little older, so I'm looking forward to the advice she can give me.

[bubbaray]

Uh, *I* like to run 13 miles. Half marathons are my favorite distance.... So, that my color my reply here :)

Its definitely doable. Get a Chariot bike trailer/jogging stroller system and that's your childcare for the bike & run training. You will probably end up wanting a road bike for the bike portion, or at least put slicks on your mtn bike.

Childminding at the rec center or swap with the other mom for your swim training. I would maybe take some adult swim lessons to improve your stroke. Check if wetsuits are allowed for your race, it keeps you more buoyant.

Good luck!
Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[jesseandgrace]

I've done sprint triathlons for the past two years (the one you are describing is a sprint distance). It is a fantastic thing to do, I'm sorry your dh doesn't get that. When I crossed the finish line of my first I felt so good, and I am still proud of myself! The training does not take all that much time for sprint distance, I think you can definitely do it. I would get a used bike/jogging combo and just go for it. After training pushing/pulling that thing the race will be a breeze. As for the swimming, I think plan on twice a week, maybe one weekday and one weekend, maybe get up early to avoid needing childcare, and swim when your dh can watch the baby. In my opinion you will not regret a minute of it. The swimming is usually the hardest part for people, but it is also a pretty short time that you are in the water. The key is just to keep plugging along, and not to care if you get bumped into. This does tend to happen, and it can make people nervous, but don't let it get to you!

[MMEand1]

I have no experience in tri's, but I am currently training for a marathon. I think that you should do this now while you have the chance and the "want". I think that trying to train while children are at home is a challenge. We have a 4 yo and a 2 yo and our training schedule stinks becasue we have to tailor it around the family. Since you only have one DC right now, I think there really is no better time.

IMHO, I say give it a shot. See if you can join the gym on a month to month basis and go from there. If you cannot find a trailer for your DC, see about getting a "trainer" for your bike so you can "ride" inside.

Get yourself a good bra, good shoes and some non-cotton socks and you should be good to go!!

Good luck!!
Mariah P.

[tylersmama]

Thanks, everyone for the advice and support! I really think I'm going to do this. After talking with a couple of friends today, I think I (kind of) have a plan. Joining a gym is just too expensive, but my friend that I would be training with has offered to let me use the pool at her rec center while she watches DS (and vice versa). Then, another friend offered that I could use her community pool (which has two lap lanes) when it opens over Memorial Day and DS could come with me and she would just keep an eye on him for me while I trained. I can also use my local rec center on the weekends while DH is home to watch DS.

For those of you who have done a tri, this is my (very preliminary) training plan. I will be hiking at least 2 to 3 days a week anyway (I belong to a hiking group for moms and babies), so that will be some of my cardio. Swim training probably twice a week. Bike training once or twice a week. Jogging an additional once or twice a week. My biggest concern is the swim, so that would be where I would spend most of my training time. I'm not looking to be competitive, just to finish. Does this sound reasonable for a sprint distance?

I still need to come up with a jogging stroller and possibly a bike trailer. I just don't know if I can convince DH to go for a combination like a Chariot when they're so expensive. I think I could get away without a bike trailer, but it would make training easier.

Thanks again for the support, and I would appreciate any further thoughts and advice!

[kijip]

Do it, you won't regret it.

[ellies mom]

Honestly, I think it is crazy that your husband isn't cheering you on.

That is a great goal!! I second what Katie said, you won't regret it. And you won't have to look back and wonder if you could have done it.

I say go for it.