Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [Allan] [ In reply to ]

Jan 31, 17 18:36

Post #51 of 101 (3433 views)

Allan wrote:

The original post said that the moron stated that he could tell the triathlete by his "stride" so M-dot tats, gps, 1 piece tri suits etc should not factor into the identification process ...

As someone who began competitive running at age 11 and ran varsity track and xc through university before becoming a triathlete 27 years ago (also a high school track/xc coach for 24 years), I will call BS and here is my 2 cents on this silly statement ....

Go to any 10k or marathon and look at the FOP runners vs. middle or BOP and you will see a huge difference in body types and stride lengths and techniques. However, you also see that among the FOP runners too. Look at Brownlee up on his toes vs any FOP guy in your local 10k ...... there are a lot of variations for fast running form. Look up a video of Gabrselassie and see a guy who runs like a machine but over pronates in a big way (the stride experts wouldn't like that but it sure worked well for him!). Last weekend I was watching a track meet streaming from Boston University and the variety of stride differences that I saw in 12 heats of the women's mile and 4 of the women's 3k was huge. These were all pretty fast ladies and I know that at least one of them is also a triathlete ..... I wonder if the guy who made the original statement could have identified her :) I have seen a lot of people at road races who are big and muscular and are not triathletes and they don't always have the smoothest form but run all the time. A guy who lives up the road from me and is his late 60s runs by my house regularly and has a very short, choppy stride .... has more to do with age and flexibility than whether he is a triathlete. My stride changes throughout the year due to footing in slippery winter days and how often I am hitting the track for quality speed sessions so maybe I would really confuse this observer.

One thing I've noticed with coaching swimmers who become track runners is that they tend to rotate their bodies too much when they run and carry their arms tucked up in front of them to facilitate this so maybe that is one sign ..... on a related note, a lot of runners turned triathlete-swimmers like me get told that we swim too "flat" and need to rotate much much more .... it is tough to change what comes naturally based on your athletic background!

OK, OK....which one of these guys is a real runner. No GPS no Mdot tat, no on the spot jogging at the crosswalk. The runner on the right appears to have the longest stride length and does not look like he's about to get a sunburn where his heart rate monitor strap is either

Last edited by: devashish_paul: Jan 31, 17 18:37

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 0:29

Post #52 of 101 (3379 views)

synthetic wrote:

ps alwayscurious, always wondered who you were, wow what a small world this is! since you last saw me i changed jobs from desk job to bike messenger, so less sitting and my training paces did drop by a minute per mile, mostly i think because of better upper body posture (not slouched over computer desk)

Awesome that you've ditched the desk job. But now you're hunched over the handlebars. :-) Make sure to include some striders in your running to open up your legs.

Last edited by: AlwaysCurious: Feb 1, 17 6:44

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 6:28

Post #53 of 101 (3294 views)

tight hips probably

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 7:24

Post #54 of 101 (3259 views)

justarunner wrote:

.....Triathletes running are as distinguishable as Yao Ming at a midget gathering. They've very short choppy little steps and insist on wearing their one piece or two piece race kits that are super skin tight. They love wearing compression socks/sleeves and are almost always found with a pretty decked out watch or heart rate monitor.

Like John L Parker said, I just think of triathlete's out running as pussy cats when I run...although i'm thankful I don't have to race them after swimming and biking first. ;)

"At paces that might stun and dismay the religious jogger, the runners easily kept up all manner of chatter and horseplay. When they occasionally blew by a huffing fatty or an aging road runner, they automatically toned down the banter to avoid overwhelming, to preclude the appearance of show boating (not that they slowed in the slightest). They in fact respected these distant cousins of the spirit, who, among all people, had some modicum of insight into their own days and ways. But the runners resembled them only in the sense that a puma resembles a pussy cat. It is the difference between stretching lazily on the carpet and prowling the jungle for fresh red meat."

Fun thread, don't take yourselves too seriously, we all have our skill sets. Happy running.

Since you appear to think triathletes all wear super tight race kit, compression gear and watches, you no doubt see someone matching this description and think "there's another triathlete". And they may be triathletes. But, how do you know the guys who aren't wearing that gear are not also triathletes?
You can't very well test your ability to identify triathletes if you choose your test sample based on their appearance.

Outside of triathlon or duathlon races, I almost never run in triathlon race gear. I will use triathlon gear occasionally for brick sessions and that's it.
So, if I'm running in normal running gear you don't actually know I'm a triathlete. If I'm in race gear, I probably just got off my bike in which case my stride will not be the same as on a stand-alone run.

Please tell me how you distinguish triathletes and non-triathletes in order to know what proportion wear race gear or any other observations you may have.

Thanks

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 8:26

Post #55 of 101 (3230 views)

At the pool,a swimmer told me "you must be a really good runner." That's a complement, right?

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [Rambler] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 8:53

Post #56 of 101 (3212 views)

That's like playing basketball and someone telling you, "With hands like that, you should play soccer"

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 8:58

Post #57 of 101 (3207 views)

Bravo you don't train in race kit..losen up, try not to take everything so serious and laugh at how ridiculous people, including, possibly oneself could be at times

Last edited by: mike s: Feb 1, 17 9:04

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [Ai_1] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 8:58

Post #58 of 101 (3207 views)

Ai_1 wrote:

Since you appear to think triathletes all wear super tight race kit, compression gear and watches, you no doubt see someone matching this description and think "there's another triathlete". And they may be triathletes. But, how do you know the guys who aren't wearing that gear are not also triathletes?
You can't very well test your ability to identify triathletes if you choose your test sample based on their appearance.

Outside of triathlon or duathlon races, I almost never run in triathlon race gear. I will use triathlon gear occasionally for brick sessions and that's it.
So, if I'm running in normal running gear you don't actually know I'm a triathlete. If I'm in race gear, I probably just got off my bike in which case my stride will not be the same as on a stand-alone run.

Please tell me how you distinguish triathletes and non-triathletes in order to know what proportion wear race gear or any other observations you may have.

Thanks

Triathletes look like triathletes, end of story. When I see two slow people running I have to ask myself, "is that slow person a hobby jogger or a triathlete?"

So here's how I determine if someone is a triathlete...

Are they fast? Yes? -> not a triathlete

Are they slow? Yes -> possibly a triathlete

Do they run like they've a stick up their ass or with an arched back? -> Triathlete

Nope, just really slow... -> Hobby jogger

Any mention of Ironman? -> Triathlete

6 garmins and a chest strap? -> Triathlete

Hokas or Newtons? -> Triathlete

Asics/brooks/nikes with casual shorts and a tshirt? -> Hobby jogger

Subaru with bike rack attachments at trailhead parking lot? -> Triathlete

Car with 70.3, 140.6, iTri, or some other lame sticker? -> Triathlete

Car with 13.1 sticker? -> Hobby jogger.

Come to think of it, the hundreds of miles I run are more or less the collection of my time spent judging others while internally thinking how awesome I am... :p

But in all seriousness, who knows if you're a triathlete. But there are usually some pretty telltale signs that typically give away triathletes who are out running compared to runners out running. They're subtle for sure, but I'd like to think over thousands and thousands of miles running I can typically sniff out an impostor in the group.

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Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:08

Post #59 of 101 (3183 views)

devashish_paul wrote:

Allan wrote:

The original post said that the moron stated that he could tell the triathlete by his "stride" so M-dot tats, gps, 1 piece tri suits etc should not factor into the identification process ...

As someone who began competitive running at age 11 and ran varsity track and xc through university before becoming a triathlete 27 years ago (also a high school track/xc coach for 24 years), I will call BS and here is my 2 cents on this silly statement ....

Go to any 10k or marathon and look at the FOP runners vs. middle or BOP and you will see a huge difference in body types and stride lengths and techniques. However, you also see that among the FOP runners too. Look at Brownlee up on his toes vs any FOP guy in your local 10k ...... there are a lot of variations for fast running form. Look up a video of Gabrselassie and see a guy who runs like a machine but over pronates in a big way (the stride experts wouldn't like that but it sure worked well for him!). Last weekend I was watching a track meet streaming from Boston University and the variety of stride differences that I saw in 12 heats of the women's mile and 4 of the women's 3k was huge. These were all pretty fast ladies and I know that at least one of them is also a triathlete ..... I wonder if the guy who made the original statement could have identified her :) I have seen a lot of people at road races who are big and muscular and are not triathletes and they don't always have the smoothest form but run all the time. A guy who lives up the road from me and is his late 60s runs by my house regularly and has a very short, choppy stride .... has more to do with age and flexibility than whether he is a triathlete. My stride changes throughout the year due to footing in slippery winter days and how often I am hitting the track for quality speed sessions so maybe I would really confuse this observer.

One thing I've noticed with coaching swimmers who become track runners is that they tend to rotate their bodies too much when they run and carry their arms tucked up in front of them to facilitate this so maybe that is one sign ..... on a related note, a lot of runners turned triathlete-swimmers like me get told that we swim too "flat" and need to rotate much much more .... it is tough to change what comes naturally based on your athletic background!

OK, OK....which one of these guys is a real runner. No GPS no Mdot tat, no on the spot jogging at the crosswalk. The runner on the right appears to have the longest stride length and does not look like he's about to get a sunburn where his heart rate monitor strap is either

which one of these guys is a real runner

The third guy on the right?

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:09

Post #60 of 101 (3182 views)

an imposter? oh boy. here we go. please let us know the agreed upon criteria for one to call oneself a "runner". can we all agree to not care?

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [TriTamp] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:17

Post #61 of 101 (3174 views)

TriTamp wrote:

an imposter? oh boy. here we go. please let us know the agreed upon criteria for one to call oneself a "runner". can we all agree to not care?

Criteria for being a runner are as follows.

1) Not a triathlete.
2) Username on online forums is not "TriTramp"
3) Spells impostor correctly.

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Last edited by: justarunner: Feb 1, 17 9:21

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:20

Post #62 of 101 (3169 views)

Ask them what their w/kg is.

Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [TriTamp] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:30

Post #63 of 101 (3153 views)

Having been running and racing at various distances sine I was 12 (now 51), I can make a few recommendations as I occasionally run near some serious triathletes in the Washington DC area:

Most triathletes could benefit from more pointed speedwork and less mileage. You're already doing lots of cardio training with swimming and biking. Run less volume, but add workouts to increase your turnover speed. The famed running coach Jim Daniels says you should touch your top speed running at least once per week, no matter what distance you're training for.
Work on technique, and if you struggle with heel striking, make the transition to midfoot or forefoot striking. If you can do this, all of your running will improve. Hard to find any accomplished runner who is a heel striker. Whether you're running at 9 min per mile or 5 min per mile, your footstrike should be the same.
If you can, train with runners for hard workouts. There's value in training with specialists in all three tri disciplines as you are likely to gain more insight into the sport, technique, and how to maximize your training for your needs.

Anyway, I marvel at how fast triathletes have become at the elite level.

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [TubularGuy] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:41

Post #64 of 101 (3141 views)

Really good points.

Minor correction, I think you meant Jack Daniels. His books on running are incredible and I constantly reference his V02 charts to make sure my training is dialed in.

As for the running at speed at least once a week, way too true. So many people want to run fast but never...run fast. Consistency, volume, etc will all make you a faster runner but at some point, you actually have to run fast. I do everything from 200 repeats up to 10 miles hard in my workouts. I run the entire gamut of speed in an attempt to become faster. I think a lot of triathletes don't ever do that and they just run a lot of comfortable miles.

For the third point, one of the most true points there is. When you're a triathlete you're essentially just a swimmer, a biker, and a runner. You need to train like each of those and not like a triathlete. Spending time with people who are good at each individual portion will only make you better across the board.

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Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 9:52

Post #65 of 101 (3126 views)

Interesting thread.

I started tri's in 2009 about 4 months before my 43rd birthday.

In 2011 I started masters swimming, got better at swimming = better at triathlon
In 2014 I joined a cycling team, got better at cycling = better at triathlon
In 2016, just this past fall I starting running with people at the local running club, we'll see where that takes me...

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:29

Post #66 of 101 (3106 views)

justarunner wrote:

TriTamp wrote:

an imposter? oh boy. here we go. please let us know the agreed upon criteria for one to call oneself a "runner". can we all agree to not care?

Criteria for being a runner are as follows.

1) Not a triathlete.
2) Username on online forums is not "TriTramp"
3) Spells impostor correctly.

1) you're not a triathlete but on a triathlon forum. okay. just browsing I guess and telling the rest of us we suck.
2) TriTamp - umm..I'm on a triathlon form and it gives where I'm located (or at least I used to be) in case others notice and ask about it. also, it's justausername
3) impostor and imposter are both correct so maybe try being less of a dick as correcting spelling and grammar of other user's post is a dick thing to do

I enjoy running, triathlons, cycling, swimming. Whether anybody calls me a runner, a triathlete, a cyclist, a swimmer does not bother me in the least since I'm not looking for their approval or admiration.

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [TriTamp] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:46

Post #67 of 101 (3095 views)

TriTamp wrote:

justarunner wrote:

TriTamp wrote:

an imposter? oh boy. here we go. please let us know the agreed upon criteria for one to call oneself a "runner". can we all agree to not care?

Criteria for being a runner are as follows.

1) Not a triathlete.
2) Username on online forums is not "TriTramp"
3) Spells impostor correctly.

1) you're not a triathlete but on a triathlon forum. okay. just browsing I guess and telling the rest of us we suck.
2) TriTamp - umm..I'm on a triathlon form and it gives where I'm located (or at least I used to be) in case others notice and ask about it. also, it's justausername
3) impostor and imposter are both correct so maybe try being less of a dick as correcting spelling and grammar of other user's post is a dick thing to do

I enjoy running, triathlons, cycling, swimming. Whether anybody calls me a runner, a triathlete, a cyclist, a swimmer does not bother me in the least since I'm not looking for their approval or admiration.

I can't imagine being on the internet and reading a joke and taking it so seriously that I felt the need to call someone a dick. Then again, I don't take myself seriously or the sports I compete in seriously. But shit, I forgot! This is slowtwitch and triathlon is serious business.

I said like 10 posts back that this was all funny and just a joke and not to take anything seriously. Then you took one word out of my posts and got butthurt about it, "impostor". A word I jokingly used to mean that I can typically pick out someone who isn't purely a runner in a group (there's nothing wrong with that).

But please, keep being butt hurt. And for the record, I've done loads of sprints, olympics, halfs, and yes, even did my one Ironman (which turned out to be a glorified duathlon). So yea, been there, done that, played the triathlon game and got tired of the peacocking and skin tight clothes on people who should never wear skin tight clothes. Now I frolick around the track in very short shorts with other scantily clad gentlemen as we dual mono a mono versus a cruelly indifferent emotionless entity, the clock. But I still intensely appreciate the sport of triathlon and many loved ones and close friends participate in this sport and given I work in the industry, I like to see what you kiddos are up to. Heaven forbid I post when something intrigues me!

Eagerly awaiting your next batch of drivel...

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Last edited by: justarunner: Feb 1, 17 10:48

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:48

Post #68 of 101 (3092 views)

I am loving this thread....another overly protective hobbiest showed up

Last edited by: mike s: Feb 1, 17 10:52

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:50

Post #69 of 101 (3088 views)

justarunner wrote:

Now I frolick around the track in very short shorts with other scantily clad gentlemen as we dual mono a mono versus a cruelly indifferent emotionless entity, the clock.

No "k" in frolic, and it's "duel"

Carry on

"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [mike s] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:52

Post #70 of 101 (3085 views)

It's one of the better ones I've seen over the years. It's half triathletes laughing at themselves, half triathletes asking about the difference in stride/form between runner and triathlete, and TriTramp who is extremely butt hurt that he/she is not one of God's chosen children (a runner).

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Last edited by: justarunner: Feb 1, 17 11:07

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:53

Post #71 of 101 (3078 views)

I concur..loosen up people

Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [RandMart] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 10:56

Post #72 of 101 (3075 views)

RandMart wrote:

justarunner wrote:

Now I frolick around the track in very short shorts with other scantily clad gentlemen as we dual mono a mono versus a cruelly indifferent emotionless entity, the clock.

No "k" in frolic, and it's "duel"

Carry on

That feeling when you know how to spell mano a mano but can't spell duel/frolic...jesus, where did my english teachers get their degrees? Better yet where did I get my degree?

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Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [synthetic] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 11:23

Post #73 of 101 (3050 views)

A real runner wouldn't be in the 100/100 ST Challenge where a triathlete thinks it is the best challenge ever? Just speculating... since I'm neither a real runner nor a real triathlete. I just flail my limbs about in three different ways.

Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
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Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [SLOgoing] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 11:30

Post #74 of 101 (3041 views)

SLOgoing wrote:

A real runner wouldn't be in the 100/100 ST Challenge where a triathlete thinks it is the best challenge ever? Just speculating... since I'm neither a real runner nor a real triathlete. I just flail my limbs about in three different ways.

I'm a real runner like tritramp is a reasonable denizen of the slowtwitch forum.

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Re: "i can tell by his stride he is a triathlete" [justarunner] [ In reply to ]

Feb 1, 17 11:39

Post #75 of 101 (3043 views)

Actually, not even that.

It's "mano a mano" ;)

Edit: stop flipflopping, choose one spelling and stick with it!

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Last edited by: Staer: Feb 1, 17 11:40

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