Did my first race in Jan 03. Did my 17th last Sunday.
13 Sprints/one Oly/ 3 HIMs. I will have done 20 by the end of this season (April).
So, what is the benchmark for serious tri geeks? Do I have to do an IM? How many people have done lots of tris but no IMs? How many have done only IMs? How many people race as much as they can?
Is Tibbs really gone or is he just hiding??? :)))
one bump or two?
When you move off TNO?
Sorry to have to break it to you chief, but my sense of this board is you’re not real until you have checked the IM box. Lip service to the contrary.
Think about Simon Lessing. Huge ITU stud. What does everyone talk about? Boy, what will he do when he moves to IM.
Zen response: When you ask the question.
Yeah. That Simon Lessing aint no triathlete till he does IM :rolleyes:
When you either have finished one year of racing, OR, make it to the podium in the Newbie Division in any race, whichever occurs sooner. If you hit the podium and continue to race the Novice division, you’re being a hardware hog.
I think that it is fine to throw in a sprint here and there during the year. What better place to practice your transitions?
After you rehab your ITB.
most who do tris never do an IM, and what percentage do you suppose ever get on the podium … so why hold those things as standards?
i started roughly the same time as you and after this season will have done roughly half as many tris … personally i think that when you get to a point where you’re thinking through your race, and are trying to execute your plan and no longer trying to get through the thing without looking like a fool (of course, that may be the plan that you’re trying to execute), then you’ve progressed from newbie to racer … so personally, i think i’ll be out of the newbie ranks by my second race this year. my first race will be the columbia tri (oly), this may … since there will be a significant pro field and the bike and run are relatively hilly, i think i’ll still be looking around in awe and trying not to blow up … after that, i’m good.
now, as you move up in race distances i suppose you become a newbie all over again.
A serious tri geek is someone hits 1025 posts on this forum or (3.2 per day).
Yeah, once you lay down that 15 hr Ironman THEN you can say “I AM TRIATHLETE,HEAR ME ROAR”
But all the 4;30 halfs and 2;05 olys before that mean nothing.
ur full of shit
so, ok, you’re the shit when you bang out a full IM (so you’ve established your street cred, congrats), but the question is not “when do i become an ironman”, it was “when i no longer considered a newbie?”
there are plenty of seasoned triathletes who have never, will never, would never do an IM … doesn’t mean they’re “newbies.” i mean, i’ve never had sex with a hooker, but i’m not a virgin.
my bad, i didn’t put in the 
or the like … wasn’t trying to be a prick. i seem to forget easily that sarcastic humor doesn’t translate to text without the voice inflection … (my reply should be read in a quiet, reasonable voice, no yelling or accusatory tone … and my “you” should have been read as the “editorial you,” not necessarily you, LC, specifically)
… of course, i also think it’s silly to hold IM as the end all, be all of tri’s … as for me, i consider myself a newbie, but mainly b/c i don’t race enough and i always seem to make a “rookie” mistake, from fueling, to pacing, to transitions … but not b/c i haven’t been training long enough or due to how many years i’ve been racing, or how long the course i choose happens to be …
Well said. I think you stop being a newbie when you stop asking questions like campy of shimano, 650 or 700 and realize it’s about getting out there and trying, not what you’re trying on or the distance you’re trying to complete.
The idea of losing newbie status when you complete an IM is moronic. For some people, it’s not about the training or equipment, but how much money can you spend on races and traveling.
Anyone want to pay for my Ironman, I’ll do it tomorrow. Until then, I’m happy doing my mini races.
I’m not so sure that newbie=beginner. I think I agree with the last poster, in the sense that once you know both sides of the basic issues, the common answers to the basic questions, and the meaning of common terms, then you’ve progressed from newbie to beginner. After that, you move to intermediate, advanced, elite, super-elite, pro, and then to my level.
what is this TNO i hear about?
also…if you’ve done all of those races…uhm, clearly, you’re no longer a newbie. I’ve done less than 5 marathons, but would never consider myself a marathon newbie and you’ve done more than twice this.
meow.
Good points here. I would like to do more Olys, for one, but there are only 3 in my area a season…3! Whereas the sprints are plentiful. People seem to get a bit sniffy at the sprints but man they are hard - if you really go at them, they hurt like s***.
Also, the statistic of 1026 stwitch posts is rather sobering…
personally I dont see what the problem is with 3. this would allow you to do some other stuff, such as a half marathon, which would be good for your overall base, some faster sprints–and really race them, and perhaps a time trial or two.
variety is the spice of life! 3 is plenty! or, fill your cooler full of beer and go on a road trip to race (the beer is post race, of course…). why not?
A number of posters are promiscuous and spread their favours around a number of forums (fora?) I like to think slow twitch is for grown ups.
Three is fine, you are right. But I really like the frequency of races you can achieve by doing sprints…to me, racing is the best fun, and the more I can pack in the better.
Of course, to do IM requires a slightly more focussed approach.
OT - did Tibbs look happy? Or was he muttering to himself about Monk and that damn P3? ;