IceCreamMan Any iron men here...... or like me can u just play it... looking to do a 5150 in Nov.... only have swimming experience..... just looking for some thoughts etc
ezietsman I started running trails recently having done no running the last 12 years. I'm hardly running significant amounts per week and already my old shin pain is coming back. I see the 5150 involves 10km of running, this is not super far if you're fit but if its on trail and hilly its not to be scoffed at. The same goes for the cycle bit, offroad is a lot harder than road. That all said, running can lead to injury very quickly and I would make a move on training already, esp on the running, and mostly to get into running without picking up a repetitive strain injury i.e. small distances to start with, 500m then increase very slowly.
Ray Well, I run a half marathon once and I thought I was dead for a few days after. But right now I'm thinking of chucking the twak and running a bit again. But tri's? Nooit!
IceCreamMan Thanks okes Ray, not full tri's no way will be able to do that....that's hardcore....5150 is like a 40 km cycle,10 km run an 1500 metre swim..the swim is no sweat an I could walk the 10 km run ...knees broken from squash so no running but 40 km on a bicycle scares me a tad
scotty Can recommend starting with the mini distance to get the hang of things. 600m swim, 10km road cycle, 5km run. If you only have a Mountain bike slick tyres can be sufficient for the shorter distances of road cycling. Found the transition between the bike and run difficult in the beginning, can recommend attending spinning classes to get going and to always do a short run directly afterwards to get used to the feeling. Check www.triathlonsa.co.za for events in your area. Don't overspend on gear and be careful on the road, get a biking buddy or a club that you can ride with for safety. Things that helped me: - running cap, you end up walking a lot and the sun gets annoying - use suncreen, lots - shades for cycling to keep wind/dust out - nothing new on race day (shoes, clothes, gu etc.), try everything before the race
