amazingly, to me, (and happily I might add) it appears that there are more than a couple folks here that do not compete in triathlon/duathlon. i might point out sojourner, who has not raced a triathlon, but who just completed his first bike race this past weekend (and demolished the field). i notice davhamm has not had his body snatched yet, and some others.
who posts or reads here that is not a tri/du person? what’s your story? any non-athletes altogether? (which would be really cool).
well, I don’t know what I am to be honest. this year it may be all bike only, unless I can get my knee together in time for a tri in July, and I’ll know about that next week. if my knee can’t take it, then I’ll just be cycling.
(if I can’t run, I’m certainly not going in the pool).
meow.
kc
Dan,
Do I count/qualify?
Last real triathlon competion was IMC 1997. I did sneak into a tri race last year just for fun. Hurt like hell!
I only really ride these days - maybe 2 - 3 times a week. Rarely, run or swim. Last swim was in the tri last summer. Last run was a 4k grunt that I went on a month ago.
Fleck
Am I the only roadie here? Although a fan of Ironman, I don’t race it. I will probably go to Kona this year just to watch. Have not done a multisport race since 2002, I do like duathlon but I dont run fast enough to be competitive. I do race road and my passion is time trial racing (www.timetrial.org and www.socalttseries.com). I am working to get faster at time trial, and train all the time with the other guys on our CAT 3 road race team, hoping to develop a winning strategy for some 06 stage races.
I haven’t done a triathlon in 3 years or so (college sucks up all the $$ about the time all the race entries are due), but I’m planning on five this season, mostly due to motivation I get from hearing about people here. Without ST, I’m sure I would have done Heart of the Lakes (my favorite), but I would have never got my training plan in order in such a way that it is now and I would have never signed up for this many events (10 in all for the season). I was able to gather enough advice to feel confident enought to try a 1/2 IM and my first marathon.
I came on to ST to learn how to TT better, as I was sick of crashing in road races, so I don’t think you could call me triathlon-oriented. But you guys got the bug going in me a again and I’m hoping to bring home some hardware this year.
Triathlete turned roadie here. No story, just got hooked on the simplicity of doing only one sport and the frequency (and inexpensiveness) of road racing.
OK, I’ll fess up… Non-tri/dui. Because of improved fitness, a gradual process over the past fifteen years because of biking, I’ve started TTing and am running again… planning on my first tri in the late summer early fall.
Jay
I guess I count as a non-triathlete and current semi-non-athlete. My primary goal now is to lose (at least most of) the weight I gained over the last two or three years, then to take the triathlon world by storm (winning at Kona, stuff like that).
I am working out at the gym, with weights and the treadmill and the stationary bike, etc. My approach – i.e., to lose most of my weight before I try a triathlon – might not be everyone’s approach but, right or wrong, it’s mine.
I come to this forum because I want to learn all that I can about this great sport before jumping in, and to spread my particular brand of joy and happiness to the rest of you.
(Note: a few statements above should have one of those cute little smiley-faces thereafter.)
– John
Yep, count me in.
I must confess, I’d love to be a triathlete, but I am time constrained and decided to focus on the bike.
I swim like an anchor, and there is no decent swimming pool near where I live (Lyon, France, third largest city in mighty France, go figure).
Though I enjoy running on business trips or anytime I have not my bike with me, I definitely believe the poser factor is bigger when it comes to biking as compared with the two other sports (or you may be a poser in the swimming pool but you have to be built like Michael Phelps, which I ain’t).
Call me a roadie, then, because this is what I am.
And let me add that it is on this forum that I get the best advice on bike training - period.
Perhaps the name gives it away…started as a competive swimmer, then did tris for a while until the knee gave out…now I race road and cyclocross. I just logged on to check out the hottie thread 
jk…still have lots of tri friends and this is better than sitcom TV.
Isn’t that great - the simplicity of a single sport. After 15+ years of triathlon, in 1997 I quit triathlon racing and just went back to running( my original sport). It was so nice. No longer did I need to travel around with a mobile sporting goods store! No longer was the gear-list going to race longer than my arm. Running is so simple - shoes, shorts and a shirt and you are out the door. When going to a race, just toss the flats and a singlet in your bag and off you go.
Triathlon amazes me with it’s complexity at all levels - I fear that this may be it’s downfall. It may already be a barrier to entry for some/many. Who knows?
Fleck
so jh, do you have to ride in a peleton to road race?
the reason I ask is because I would like to get my biking to the next level, and perhaps do something competitive with it. but, i don’t want to ride in a peleton, and don’t know what options there are.
kc
I’m a poser. Does that count?
kc- if you want to compete in a RR, you have to ride in a peleton, it is a game of team tactics using the peleton and escaping the peleton…if you want to just be in the race, you can hang in the back and do your own thing. you may just end up on a race course, during a race, riding by yourself, however. People do it. Or take off on your own at the beginning of the race and make the peleton chase you the whole time : )
I’m an adventure racer.
I found this website by chance a few years ago searching for training info. I’ve been hooked ever since. This website has some of the best info on the web (Slowman, Fleck, Tom D, Gerard, etc) and some of the funiest (Tibbs, jhc, jhenric, jmorrissey, etc).
However, I’m doing IM Lake Placid this year, how bad can it be?
You get a full night sleep the night before, you don’t have to sort 300 pieces of gear and cram it all into your backpack, and you get to finish the same day you start!!! HAHA!!
Thanks slowtwitch and thanks Dan.
There’s me as well.
I’m a cyclist. Love TTs, long distance road races. Plan on doing some triathlons when my cycling “career” is over.
Arrived here directed from another cycling forum looking for some aerodynamics advice for one of my first time trials. Enjoyed the folks and discussions, and now I end up checking the site pretty much everyday.
TTs (which have since turned into my favorite discipline) go hand-in-hand with the bike leg of a triathlon, and even though certain aspects of fit, pacing, etc don’t really apply, it’s a fun read anyway.
's
I’m a roadie. However, I intend to do triathlons soon as I run out of age groups (most local bike races don’t go past 45 and many don’t go past 35).
In the meantime, my dad competes with sister Madonna for the role of USAT team icon and flagbearer…
-jens
Why don’t you want to ride in a peloton?
I am definitely not a committed multisporter. My first tri was in 1984. I did another one in '87 and another in '88 then took 16 years off.
In late 2003 I decided to do a half IM so in the summer of 2004 I did a sprint then the half. A thirst for knowledge leading up to the half is what brought me to Slowtwitch.
I have no definite plans to do any tris this summer but I’m sure I will do one again before another 16 years passes. I could see myself doing a full IM someday but it would be a “one off” and won’t happen until my life slows down a bit. I like the challenge of getting ready for something, even if it takes a year or 2 but I have no interest in doing triathlons full time year after year. I don’t have enough time to pursue all 3 sports consistantly over the long haul plus I don’t like running much, I’m tired of swimming but I really like riding my bike.
This summer I’m just going to ride and see if I can get enough races in to upgrade out of cat 5 
Don’t know if I count or not since I have not done a tri yet. Decided last summer to get in shape got off tobacco and started running. Friend of mine at work rides bikes and I decided to give it a try. Was browsing the net late last summer and found slowtwitch and decided to do a local tri this summer. Did my first du a couple of weeks ago and did a little better than expected. So here I am 25lbs lighter feeling good and looking forward to doing my first tri. As a side note thankyou to everyone who has helped with advice,there are a lot of knowledgable people here.