you should so do it. i did a tiny little triathlon for girls a few weeks ago, and it was fantastic. i am thinking of joining the newcastle tri club, so i can make it a more regular thing.

running is my weakest leg, as i am a slow runner. but that's ok. it's more about beating myself than anyone else.

the brw is fun and not very long. you'll be ok.

are you doing the one in melbourne? it's not uncommon for the swim leg to be cancelled due to the water being too pooey.

I love the idea of triathlons, I am yet to compete in one though.

What's the BRW triathlon, katie?

i think littlesmoke was doing one of these on the weekend.

brw is a big corporate one, heaps of companies enter work teams so i will get a free kit!

http://www.supersprint.com.au/events/nissan--brw-corporate-triathlon.aspx

i will be doing the melb one, it would be great if the swim got cancelled, even though its running that will be a concern

last night i seem to have dobbed myself in to do my first sprint triathlon, and it's only three weeks away. it's another woman's event, but at the sydney regatta centre, so it will have an almost-open water swim. i just realised this morning that because i am a pretty slow runner, i will probably end up competing for almost two hours. holy hell.

so i am a bit scared and excited. and have just got back from my first morning run in almost a year. eeek.

I totally respect people who can actually make it through one of these things on a regular occurance (did one once when i was young), but I have no idea what the attraction is of doing them regularly...

I guess i just don't get sports where there aren't goals, runs or some sort of score...

I need something to chase in order to get me to run these days.

i guess a triathlon you can chase your own time?

i was supposed to start my 8 week training program last monday, and after putting it off for a few days went and did my first run and swim in years. the swim was ok, but i got blisters after about 15 mins. going to buy new runners tomorrow and hope it doesnt set me back too much, i reaaaally need to work on the run as much as i can.

slr - did you join a tri club yet that youve dobbed yourself in to?

i guess a triathlon you can chase your own time?

too....insubtantial

prefer chasing a ball or even an opposition player to hack down....

good luck on the training

How did I miss this thread????

rubies: I've done some sprint races, did one on Sunday even. It's a good distance....long enough to really stuff you up, short enough so that you feel you can do it. That was my second sprint distance race (which is 750m swim, 20km ride & 5km run by the way) & I beat my previous time by a couple of minutes...happy about that.

Is the Sydney Regatta Centre the one in/near Penrith? If so, I did a race there last year & it was awesome...a great venue for triathlon.

I'm stepping up to Olympic distance in a couple of weeks & then half ironman two weeks after that. Ironman in April. That's going to be scary.

prefer chasing a ball or even an opposition player to hack down....

Once you've done a few races, you get to know the people that are around the same standard as you. I race against them....& of course, against my own previous times.

topher - i guess the appeal is that it is all about your own capabilities. i hate team sports because i always feel like i am letting people down (and also because i have terrible hand-eye coordination) whereas with this sort of thing, i am pushing myself to the limits, but not having to worry about whether the fact that i am slow is going to let a whole bunch of people down.

katie - i haven't joined the tri club yet, although am still keen to. summer seemed to get in the way and i started mountain bike riding instead. but i am thinking that it might be great to do through the cooler months.

littlesmoke - that's the venue. i reckon it should be a great venue. can not wait. for me, the sprint distance is probably still not very sprinty (will be near the end of the pack), but it will be my longest multi-sport event by far, and a great way to really start to test my body. i am scared and excited, but feeling pretty happy with my general fitness at the moment.

i did a mini personal triathlon today. 30 minute walk, 30 minute bike ride and 1.5km swim.

fuckin' triathlete!

awesome! go sveltes. i reckon that totally counts too :p

it's the biggest triathlon i'll ever compete in.

best of luck with your one lady.

nice work sveltes, that counts 100%.

Awesome rubies...that's a fantastic triathlon venue. I really enjoyed racing there. You'll be fine at that distance...you're not looking at breaking any records, so it shouldn't break you.

ok, i'm gonna say that i think i get what this is all about for you littlesmoke.

i've just come back from another 'mini-personal traithlon'.

1/2 hour bike, 1/2 hour jog/walk, 1.5km swim.

i feel fucking amazing.

it's funny how just when you get exhausted of the one thing, it's time to move on to the other and it all starts again.

Yep...you've got it! It's such an awesome feeling...& the more you push yourself, the better that feeling. I'm going to break into tears when I finish Ironman..guaranteed.

My first Olympic distance race yesterday (1500/40/10). It was awesome, my best race yet. Swim was slow (normal) but then the ride was lighting (for me) & then it was the best 10km run I've ever done.....very, very happy. I was racing my my father in law who passed away on Thursday night....I really think it helped...thanks John.

fcking unreal, smokes!!!!!

just when you thought it couldnt get any more awesome... congrats :D

Smashed another race this morning....waiting on results but quietly confident of another good placing. This whole being fit & healthy thing is really paying off!

go you. how do you think the training is impacting on your depression, smoke? i just wonder whether you are leaving yourself reserves for getting better. though it sounds like it is helping, and giving you something to concentrate on and ground yourself with.

As long as I'm looking after myself (not drinking, eating properly) then the training is great. When I'm writing myself off every day, not eating properly & then training hard....well, not so good.

Ironman NZ tomorrow....wish me luck! Anyone wanting to see how I'm going... head to ironmanlive.com , my number is 898. Here goes nothing!

awesome smoke, will be thinking of you & keeping an eye on the tracker.

GOOD LUCK! :d

freaking good luck littlesmoke. am tracking you now! hope you are feeling good, and getting through.

cannot wait to hear your race report.

I DID IT! I am an Ironman! I feel like abour 20 million dollars....aside from now being barely ableto move. :-) Swim was GREAT....beat my best timeby nearly 30 minutes, bike ride was exactly as planned & then was able to enjot the scenery on the run as I had time on my hands.

Well done littlesmoke!

littlesmoke, i am SO proud of you. was great watching the website tick over when you were through the ride, knowing what had happened with your tire issues during your first attempt. was very excellent knowing that all that you had to do... was a marathon. that is so brilliant!

look after yourself now, as you start to wind down. i know the post-event comedown can be a shock to the system, so hope that all goes well.

It was amazing, the most incredible individual thing I have ever done. 15 hours of hard slog & pain...now I know that I can do anything...anything!

It rained the entire day...non stop driving rain, but I laughed at it. I seriously smiled through the entire race. I just knew it was my day right from the outset.

I did the swim in a really quick time for me...30 minutes faster than last time! The bike ride was tough in the rain, but I still managed the exact time I planned. My run was slow...but I didn't care, I knew I had time up my sleave & I was hurting badly....I knew I was going to make it by then even if I walked.

The last 2pm or so were some of the best moments of my life. There were thousands of people cheering me on as though I was the world champion & I must have high five'd 200 kids. The finish shute in particular was awesome...I kissed mrs smoke along the way and then crossed the line as they called over the PA ''littlesmoke, you are an ironman!''.

Was great to have my lovely wife & son there cheering me on & my brother surprised me by coming over as well which was a real treat.

My body is holding up ok, still a little sore & won't be doing any training for a bit. Sunday I could hardly walk, but not so bad now.

I've got the bug now...looking at entering ironman Mexico in November!

Awesome news littlesmoke! Well done. Your family would be so proud of you.

well done dude !

Thanks guys, I'm still floating on a natural high from it....which is lucky as otherwise I think I'd still be unable to walk. :-)

Yeppoon ironman 70.3 tomorrow. Westsuit swim, flat ride, totally flat run & I am fitter & healthier than ever before = I am going to smash it!

Personal best!!!

Congrats littlesmoke!!

Thanks Coz, it was my best effort yet over such a long distance. Next big one is Melbourne Ironman in March.

How was the weather up there? I can imagine the humidity may have hurt a bit.

It was nice actually...didn't real feel the humidity & temp was in the mid twenties..quite comfortable.