Triathlon Update
55 days until the big race! I have been training for the Nation’s Triathlon which will be taking place on September 7
th. It is my first triathlon, so I am definitely amped to cross that finish line. I wanted to share with you some of the things I am doing to prepare for my race and to also keep you posted on my journey as I train for my first Olympic triathlon!
Biking
About a month or two ago, I purchased a road bike from a local bike shop which seemed to ride well when I test drove it at the store. It was an aluminum frame bike with carbon forks (the two bars that connect the front wheel of the bike to the frame). I needed to get out on a bike instead of using the stationary bikes at the gym, so I decided to buy it. Within a few rides I started to notice some problems with the bike. At first it was shifting really abruptly and then the chain kept rubbing up against the derailleur which made a clicking noise anytime I accelerated or put a lot of torque on the bike. I was able to fix the abrupt shifting problem by adjusting the cable tension, but I couldn’t fix the clicking noise. I brought it back to the bike shop twice to see if they could fix it, but no dice. The guy said that I was putting too much torque on the bike and that I should increase my RPMs. This didn’t make any sense to me, and when I asked if it would make that noise on the other bikes in the store he did not have an answer. Long story short I returned the bike and got a full refund. A week later I went into the bike shop to return the warranty that I purchased and saw the same bike on the shelve! I could not believe it, they sold me a bad bike and are trying to sell it again to some other poor unfortunate soul. Never shopping there again!
The good news is that I went on Craigslist and found a 2010 Cannondale Synapse which rides beautifully. It is aluminum with carbon forks, and Shimano 105 components. The seller was a cool guy who said he lost interest in biking and never really used it much. I was able to get a great deal on the bike (about 50% off its original price) and couldn’t be happier!
Training
Check out this program that I found on
shape.com:
http://www.shape.com/fitness/training-plans/12-week-olympic-triathlon-training-plan-beginners
It’s great for people just starting out with triathlons.
That’s about it for now. More updates to come soon!
