over 40 over weight lycra how far do you go
max1111
Posts: 3
in General Chat
Hi
i'm a newbie who's thinking of signing up to do the liverpool tri
my concerns are im to fat to compete over 40 am i pushing my luck starting this at my age
i have been reasonably fit in the past army football squash, but have let it slip due to back problems work etc seem to have got my back issues sorted and am ready to start running again
and of course how long does it take to get over the embarresment of wearing lycra i know it won't feel right at my age
Max
i'm a newbie who's thinking of signing up to do the liverpool tri
my concerns are im to fat to compete over 40 am i pushing my luck starting this at my age
i have been reasonably fit in the past army football squash, but have let it slip due to back problems work etc seem to have got my back issues sorted and am ready to start running again
and of course how long does it take to get over the embarresment of wearing lycra i know it won't feel right at my age
Max
0
Comments
Don't worry about it. Seriously, people don't give a monkeys about how heavy you are. People will respect you ( just like every other triathlete ) for starting and finishing. You wont be the slowest nor the last to finish.
Br proud of your decision to race, wear what you like, a bloody dress if you want to.
Enjoy the race for what it is and embrace the challenge.
Ps- be prepared to sell everything you own to buy new kit. You'll be addicted in a matter of minutes post race.
Good luck.
Regarding age, my first tri I was 49 - now 52
Weight; I was just under 13stone/80Kg - now 65-67Kg (still trying to shift that extra and oh so elusive 2Kg or so).
Bike; £60 Halfords MTB with knobbly tyres.
You have a few months to go and suggest you have a look here http://www.runningforfitness.org/faq/start.php
This will help determine your BMI, your calorific intake for performance/weight loss, training paces, and as you progress your VO2 max, HRM zones etc.
Get a good set of shoes, get your gait analysed at a ruuning shop (suggest you post asking for recommondations for where you live/work). Don't start full out, you will hurts yourself. Start with fast walks, walk runs, runs building up distance/pace.
Swimming, what is your swimming like? Suggest you do a search/post on that but these may help:
http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_swim/tno_ ... cle_04.asp
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/triathlon-swimming.html
Bike; we are bike mad here but an MTB is good enough for the first few events. If you already have a bike whether it is an MTB or hybrid MTB that will be good enough, let us know what you have.If you don't have a bike there have been some recent posts on a first bike, IMHO spend no more than £500.
I think the 'lycra' thing can be tackled in 2 ways;
1. Go all out as Mr 'Pink' Scotty does and say what the hell, or
2. Go for a two piece ensemble such as black tri shorts and white top so that you look more 'traditional'
In the Liverpool you will be using a wetsuit so water slippery lycra is not the issue and gives you more scope for a 'mix n match'. Do be careful though with the shorts and don't wear ordinary cycle shorts as they soak up water like a nappy.
Don't be shy, we are friendly here. Let us know what you size/weight is. Swim/run/bike times if applicable. The more you can give us the more we can help out. There are some really experienced guys here and all happy to help.
Welcome to the forum.
I have just completed my 1st season as a triathlete , and i'm over 40 .
I would honestly say that with a tiny bit of effort ,almost anyone can complete a Tri ,and I think most people on this forum would agree .
Just get out and enjoy training , and 'dine out ' on the glory of completing your first race .
Don't worry about speed , you will get plenty of encouragement from other athletes while out on the course,I've found triathlon to be a very friendly sport.
1 thing when you start your swim . Remember to breath
What do i look like in Lycra, who cares I don't
Just enjoy
by the time you reach race day you will feel and look so good and so fit anyway (you have no other option it will happen inevitably) so go ahead and wear your lycra with pride for you have earned it!
let us know the colour you are going for!
...oh and welcome, have an amazing journey!
Do I care,not one jot,I am competing for myself,and if anyone is making comments it is generally the Couch Commanders whilst holding their electronic babysitter communicator.
I am in my mid 40's and Lycra is a functional material for the sport we do.As you do the more races you will be less bothered at being conspicuous so go for it.Wear a trisuit that You like in a colour that You like,if it means racing in a pair of budgie concealing speedos with a Salvador Dahli pant moustache,it is fine by me,just go for it.
That said an exclusively red tri suit may well reveal more than one might like (& others too!) so black & red it is.
Welcome along for the ride, you will have a blast & learn to love your lycra.
Theres over 5 months yet so training and a good diet will sort all...at least thats what im telling myself.
As for lycra right now im with you its not agood look for us salad dodgers so i wont be buying mine till
iv lost a few more lbs..about 28 i hope!
It does take a while to get used to Lycra or indeed wetsuits but convenience gets the better of looks VERY quickly.
Good luck matey.
I'm nearly 40 and would certainly describe myself as having a 'large frame'. I did initially worry about what you've mentioned as many triathletes appear to be well toned athletes. Once you've done your first race you'll soon get over it. There will definately be someone older and bigger, wearing something worse, so don't worry about it and as you lose the pounds it all seems to become a distant memory!! If your dressing in lycra and rubber, it's hardly the time to be self conscious!!
For me, triathlon is all about what feels comfortable over the distance. As you start going longer, this becomes more and more important!
Clearly none of the above applies to the bike, which needs to look pristine, and, sexy as hell all of the time!! Lets face it, if your bike is bling enough, most people probably won't even notice you anyway!
A lot of the time by the time you get a decent distance into the run, you won't care what anyone thinks anyway and if they had the cheek to comment you'd probably give them a suitable rebuke!
but anyway
swimming i live 1/2 mile from the new 50m indoor pool at picton so i guess i can get some lessons tips on technique and stuff (i thought the swim would be easy as i was a strong swimmer in the past never has the expression use it or lose it been more adapt to this skill )
cycling i have a very old raliegh nitro bike 15 speed mind dead racy LOL but will upgrade probably from picton cycles who sell orbea they look the bizz anyone any other thoughts or which model
running i have brooks defayance trainers which i will probably replce fairly soon are these ok for the tri or do i need to look in a different direction than these
the nutrition side of things will need looking at as i eat a fair amount of crap i guess thats why i wobble a bit just a bit mind before i go skipping down the lycra section of the local tri shop
vital stats are ht 5 ' 8" wt 85kg
where is the local tri shop for liverpool by the way
as for the money side of things i have had good training being a windsurfer for the last ten years i know the value of carbon as every serious athlete knows its never them that makes them crap its the lack of carbon which is to blame
cheers Max
As for bike shops theres quinns of course on edge lane,formby cycles has a good choice too. The nearest tri specialists is in manchester .
lycra helps to hold in wobbly bits, well nearly all of them
it's all about having fun
Pink is the only cool colour - or black/silver
it took me a few of months .....
I have always had fantastic support from other competitors, one member of a police team, in a different wave to me, at Seaford a couple of years back instead of burning past, slowed (considerably!) to coach me in the last few hundred metres of the run, how many other sports would that happen in?
Just get out and enjoy it like we all do!
this week i have started training sadly i missed the evening swim training suggested at picton due to being pissed around by work but i'll get there sometime
i have been to two bmf sessions this week after a month long layoff moving house a bad dose of manflu xmas newyear etc and i'm hurting all over i know this is a good thing and will pass but i'm at the everything is a big effort stage due to the pain stiffness etc
i know i will need to address drastically some parts of my lifestyle diet, time llotment, lager consumption
financial management (read hiding expensive purchases form the woman who shares my life and bed ) (if she ever reads that i might just get away with that ) and over use of the brackets symbol
so from time to time i will pop back and update the brave and the good of this forum of my progress or failing only time will tell
so cheers for the encouragement
Max
did i mention i'm stiff all over
Max111 you are learning fast about your relationship with the WAT officer, do not be deceived, she will soon catch on (and may have done so already). Let's face it we can't keep anything from them and revenge will be exacted but the fun is in hope that just once we may succeed and when we do that victory is oh so sweet. But still keep one eye peeled!