- Q: I wasn't able to attend the kickoff meeting, can I still be involved with the club? If so, how?
A: If you couldn't make the meeting last night, the best way to get started is to come to a practice, or send the club president an e-mail at President.OSUTRI@gmail.com.
- Q: I have a conflict and I can't make all the practices each week, can I still be a part of the club?
A: Yes! Most triathletes like to have a lot going on in their lives, and many of our members cannot make every practice. Members are free to come to as many or as few practices as they want.
- Q: What are the distances for an average triathlon?
A: Olympic or international distance is the standard for most collegiate triathlons. This is a 0.9 mile (1.5k) swim, a 25 mile (40k) bike, and a 6.2 mile (10k) run. Many olympic races offer a sprint distance, which is roughly half the olympic distance. First time triathletes should start off with a sprint distance race and build up from there.
- Q: Isn't Triathlon an individual sport?
A: Triathletes do have to rely on their own endurance and will power on race day, but there are many advantages to being a part of a team. There's a lot more to triathlons besides swimming, biking and running, and training with experienced triathletes is a great way to learn about proper hydration and nutrition, transition techniques, open-water swimming and more. Also, Triathlon is not a NCAA sport, so being a Tri-Buck is an opportunity to represent Ohio State at the highest level of collegiate triathlon competition. Most importantly, training with a team is a lot more fun.
- Q: I don't have a bike, can I still join?
A: OSU Tri knows that you are on a student budget, so you don't have to have a bike to train. You can still come swim and run, and most of our cycling practice is done on spinning machines (No bike required). The team also has two loaner bikes for use at triathlons. A lot of first time triathletes also complete their first race on a hybrid or mountain bike.
- Q. Do I have to be a good (swimmer/bike/runner) to join the club and practice with TriBucks?
A. We have athletes of all types of abilities! No matter how skilled or novice you are, there is always someone to train with, and our coach Oscar is great is taking non-swimmers and making them very proficient.
- Q: I've never raced before and I've never really trained for one of these, when will I be ready to race?
A: Individual results may vary, but every year we have many members who start with little experience and feel quite comfortable completing our indoor triathlon winter quarter and their first sprint or olympic by the time triathlon race season gets going in the spring. The key factor is how hard and how often you train.
- Q: What kind of race opportunities will I have through the club?
A: The club organizes around 3 major races: our indoor triathlon in the winter, USAT Collegiate Nationals in the spring, and our Scarlet and Gray triathlon in early summer. Scarlet and Gray has an olympic and sprint distance. Members of the team travel together to many other triathlons, as well as stand alone swimming, running and biking events through out the year. These include the Columbus Marathon, Little Miami Triathlon, Calvin's Challenge, and many others.
- Q: I haven't paid my dues yet, can I come to practice?
A: You can come to 5 practices to try the club out before paying dues. However, we ask that for indoor spinning practices, the bikes go first to paying members.
- Q: What's the deal with club dues?
A: Dues are $60 and will be payable online. Expect an email during the first week of classes for online dues-paying instructions. If you're unable to pay online for whatever reason, contact the president and we can work something out. These dues help us cover the cost of coaching, and pay for some facilities time.
- Q: What comes with the paid membership?
A: Membership comes with a dry-fit club shirt, workouts, access to our weekly spinning classes, coaching, access to reserved training spaces, discounts to local shops of interest and more.
- Q: What level of ability must I have to join the Triathlon Club?
A: Individuals of all ability levels are encouraged to join our club. No prior experience required in any of the three disciplines.
- Q: What if I am only interested in one or two of the three disciplines (swimming, biking, and/or running)?
A: That's ok. This is not only a triathlon club, but a multisport club. Again we are inclusive of anyone that wishes to take part. Whether you just wish to just stay in shape, train, or compete as well, the opportunities are endless.
- Q: I'm glad you're inclusive but why should I join if I'm afraid of the water and not interested in swimming? Or I don't own and can't afford a bike?
A: You are welcome to take part in only the training sessions that interest you. When it comes to competition, you may team with others to compete as a relay or you may choose to enter multisport races that cater to your strengths/interests: Duathlon (run-bike-run), Aquathlon (run-swim-run), Aquabike (swim-bike). Again, the opportunities are endless.
- Q: It sure seems like you have a lot of training sessions on your calendar. There is no way I could make them all. What kind of attendance requirements does the club have?
A: In a sense, there are NO required practices. We're just trying to create opportunities for you to get in a workout with a group. Our intent is to publish a general training plan that each individual can self select from. It will then be up to you to find the practices that work best for you - or do them on your own (hopefully the former).
- Q: How do I find out more about the club?
A: The best way to learn about the club is to show up to practice and talk to our members! Also, read this website. We intend to use this as the primary communication tool and will post training programs to this site. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to send an email to President.OSUTRI@gmail.com
- Q: How will schedule changes and time sensitive communications be distributed?
A: We have created a listserv as a method to contact club members via email: osutriathlon@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Feel free to use this listserv as a method to reach out to your fellow club members to organize alternative workouts. However, we ask that everyone please be respectful not to abuse it. (You'll be emailing over a hundred people.) If we all start receiving too many messages then we are likely to delete them without viewing content. Also, please be sure your content is suitable for distribution to all. If you wish to be removed from the listserv or would like to use a different email address, please contact: Secretary.OSUTRI@gmail.com
- Q: I do not currently have a bike but I'm interested in getting one. What measurements do I need to get a proper bike and how do I determine what make/model is best for me?
A: It's best to get measured at a local bike store. They will measure your leg length, arm length, torso length, etc, and find the proper size for you. If you want to buy a bike online, you can ask to test ride a similar size bike from someone on the team. A lot of our team members are very knowledgeable about bike fitting and proper form, so they can help make small adjustments. To answer what model you should get, start off by choosing a price range, then go for which bike fits best to your taste.
- Q: What type of running shoes do I need for a competition?
A: You really don't need anything special to race in or with. You can compete in training shoes or racing flats. Most competitive triathletes will wear lightweight racing flats with elastic laces for faster transition times. See this link for some great insight on getting started and gear requirements.
- Q: Who can I get in contact with to work on my swimming, cycling, and running form/technique?
A: Workout leaders are experienced in the area they are coaching and are likely knowledgeable in other areas as well. Do not be shy about asking for help from our more experienced members. Although they may not be able to help you in the middle of a workout due to their own training needs, most will be happy to help you before and/or after practice sessions. We also plan to hold clinics for each of the three disciplines. Stay tuned to the listserv and this website for more information on training/technique clinics.
- Q: What's a trainer?
A: Trainer: A trainer is a device that you can use to turn your road bike into a stationary bike. Generally it's a contraption with a metal roller that put pressure against the rear wheel to simulate effort as if you were riding on the road. The bike is generally locked in and stable. You may hear a more advanced setup called "rollers" where the bike sits on two rollers in the back and one on the front. This takes a bit more coordination as you must balance on the rollers - the bike is not locked in. Trainers and rollers are a great way to ride your own bike when the weather outside is adverse.
- Q: What's a brick?
A: Brick: A brick is when you are combining multiple training elements together - to get used to racing these elements back to back. A bike-run brick is most common (you'll do your bike workout first and follow it immediately by a run workout... or you may go between, e.g., bike, run, bike, run, bike, run.) The term "brick" comes from the feeling you get in legs.
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