Hello All!
First I'd like to thank all of you who donated to ETS through my Janus Charity Challenge (JCC) Campaign. With your help we raised $840 dollars for ETS, with the $750 bonus from Janus that is a grand total of $1590! I am training for Ironman Wisconsin in September and will have my JCC site setup for that later today.

Well, Ironman Arizona (IMAZ) didn?t go quite as planned. It started off excellent; I had a good swim, didn?t get beat up too bad and was out of the water ahead of the time I wanted? that?s where the day took a turn for the worse! I had my first flat tire before I left the transition area, my second around mile 3, third around mile 10, and the forth and final before mile 50 of the bike! That was the day for me; it took me over three hours to complete my first lap (38 miles), an hour longer than it should have. By the time I started my third lap, I was having problems keeping anything down. I decided that after I didn?t have enough CO2 to fill my forth flat, my day was over. It could have been worse; at mile 5 I heard screaming I looked up and found a pro laying in the street, she had been hit by an inattentive driver and her ankle run over by his horse trailer! When the ambulance showed up, the paramedic was a recent graduate of my Paramedic Program? on her first call as a paramedic!

Now, those of you that know me, I don?t go into anything unprepared much less under equipped. IMAZ was no different, my bike was equipped with band new tires and tubes, and I carried 2 spare tubes with me as well as 4 CO2 cartridges! If it wasn?t for neutral support I would have been done much earlier in the day? I had 2 more spare tubes, 4 CO2 cartridges, and another new tire in my Special Needs Bag (a bag each athlete can put their own nutritional needs and anything else the think they may need) at mile 60 of the bike? but I didn?t quite make it that far. Sometimes you can be prepared and equipped as much as reasonably possible and not be ready for the circumstances provided for you!

The day wasn?t all bad, or over. Since I had come to run, and I paid my entry fee I decided that I was going to do the marathon anyway? along side my father who was there competing in his 7th Ironman distance triathlon. All in all it was a good day, I didn?t get a finisher?s medal or t-shirt but I was still a good day!

Thanks again to all!

The new donation Website is: http://www.januscharitychallenge.com/WI06/equipped stay tuned for more information <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Alan,

Bummer! Best laid plans and all that...

OTOH, you're a finisher in our eyes. Thanks very much to you and to everyone who contributed to help raise these desperately needed funds for ETS.

Best of luck in Wisconsin!

Have you tried slime in your tires? Or a thorn proof strip?

TRO

I train with slime, however for my races I typically ride tires with lighterweight tubes. I have never had a problem with flats before, however I choose a new tire this time around... it could have been the tires or it could have been just bad luck. The problems with thorn-proof strips are, first they don't work very well on road tires, they don't fit well in my race tires, they alter ride quality significantly (a big deal when on the bike for 6 hours) and they don't like high pressures.

I figure that after over 200 triathlons in my life, After my 4 on sunday I have had a grand total of 5 flats in races... the fates caught up to me sunday! I'll be going either back to the tires I have used for my last two ironmans or tubulars for Wisconsin

Thanks,

Romania,
That's a lot of flats, even for lightweight race stuff. Do you know what caused the flats? Was it visible debris, pinch flats, or "mystery holes"? I'm just curious as to whether it might be the new tires?

all mystery holes except one sliver of glass... nothing in the tire, not even any noticable cuts... the tire apear intact still... although they will become tires for the trainer. The flats were split evenly, 2 front, 2 back!

Arizona is tough on tires... I get a flat about ever 200-300 miles of riding. I use slime tubes and heavier tires with more puncture resistance when I train, and that has reduced my flats significantly! I will be changing my tire and tube choice for Wisconsin, I will hopfully have new wheels and be riding tubulars on race day <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That's still fantastic! I've always been interested in doing this at some point but never find myself just saying "do it."

Still an amazing feat that so very few can or ever will try to do. Any tips on how to ease yourself into the direction of doing one of these (at least a mini-ironman)?

My biggest piece of advice is this, find an event and make a commitment to train for it and do it! A full Ironman (2.4mi Swim, 112mi Bike, 26.2mi Run) may be a little long for a first triathlon, but some have done it& there are many more shorter triathlons out there.

Id go to www.active.com and find an event nearby that gives you enough time to train for it. Give your self about 12-15 weeks for a sprint distance triathlon and up to a year for a full Ironman. There is a lot of gear out there for triathlons; all you really need is a good pair of running shoes, a good bike, helmet, and a pair of bike shorts, swim goggles and swimsuit. You could spend a little more and get a pair of tri-shorts (worth the money) and a heart rate monitor. Dont spend too much money until you have done your first one, youll have a better idea how you want to spend it!

Find a good bike shop that is willing to work with you and fit you to your bike, give them your spending limit and let them know that you want to spend X amount and be ready to ride& bike, helmet, shoes, pedals, tool/repair kit, tax everything! A good bike shop will work with you, but be prepared to pay what the tag says, there is little markup on cycling products. You may save some money shopping online, but the service a good bike shop can provide is priceless to a new rider. At the shop, ask about bike maintenance class (many shops offer them for free, or will show you the basics before you leave) and if there are any beginner group rides nearby. YOU DONT NEED A $5000 BIKE TO DO TRIATHLONS! They are very nice but start small, upgrade as you get more involved.

Id look for a local triathlon club. I have yet to find a Tri-Club that hasnt welcomed beginners and went out of their way to help them prepare for their first event. When I started racing (in 1989) I was in high school and had no idea what I was doing, I was a runner which helped, but was clueless about triathlons. I after stumbling through my first triathlon a local triathlete helped me out with some pointers& I won my age group at every event I participated in the next year! Tri-Clubs are a great resource with numerous experienced athletes!

You need to find a training program, there are hundreds out there. The best available (IMO) is from Carmichael Training Systems their Classic program is $39 a month and worth it if you are very serious. You could also find a program at www.beginnertriathlete.com with programs costing $75 for 6 month to free, these dont come with a coach but they are better than nothing. It also would be a bad idea to grab a book or two, like Triathlon 101 by John Mora or The 12 Week Triathlete by Tom Holland. Active.com had a huge amount of information for beginners as well. Magazines like Triathlete and Inside Triathlon are good resources as well.

Be warned, Triathlons are addicting! If you prepare for it you will have fun! If you are serious about it, PM me and I'lll give you whatever information and help I can.

Awesome! Thanks for the info.