We get a lot of questions from athletes on our various events, clubs, lessons, classes, group rides and more.  We thought it would be helpful to answer a few common ones below.  Of course, please keep the questions coming.  We are happy to answer!

et classes:

Question: Can you tell me a little more about your Tri Training class? What is taught, what happens during the sessions? 

Answer:  ET offers 2 Tri Training classes-one for beginners, and one for advanced athletes. The Tri 150 Training Class is geared toward first time racers and is a coached, 6 week class that includes a ton of education and coaching from our tri coaches.  Every week you'll swim, bike and/or run (it changes each week).  You learn about how to train for a tri, gear to buy, etc.  It is a highly rated class and always sells out.

ET’s advanced tri training class will help you breakthrough to the next level.  This class is open to self-coached, intermediate and advanced level triathletes that are looking to PR current distance races or move up in distance to a half or full Ironman. One note on both classes, they are not what we call Personal Coaching.  Personal Coaching is where you hire a personal tri coach mentor to support YOU on a 24/7 basis.  Personal Coaching is always the best way to go and it is our most popular offering.  You can learn more about Personal Coaching here.

Question:  What skill would I need to join the Swim 101?

Answer:  For you to really benefit from the group class environment, it's best if you can at least swim a few laps in the pool with freestyle.  That way Coach Joe can progress you pretty quickly.  If you can't get across the pool or can't put your face in the water or can't breathe ok to the side, these are normally signs that you'd benefit more from private one-on-one lessons.

ET CLUBS:

Question: What does Tri Club entail?

Answer: The Club is a non-coached, group workout program with socializing opportunities to meet other athletes.  It goes year-round.  Annual membership $40.  You don't get any 'coaching' or education with Club.  You can read all about our 3 Clubs (Tri, Bike, Run) and the benefits on this page.

ET GROUP RIDES:

Question: About how long/avg pace are the Bike Group Rides?

Answer: The rides are approximately 2 hours long and about 30-40 miles on most Sundays.  Paces range from 15mph to 22mph.  We have several different pace sub-groups that form during the ride and there are at least 2 certified ride leaders assigned to each group to ensure nobody gets lost and that any issue such as a flat tire is handled.

Question:  How big of a bike group do you normally get on Sundays?

Answer: We average 50-80 riders on Sunday rides depending on the location, weather and everyone's personal calendars.

Question: How often to the routes change? Weekly?

Answer: Often. We have about half dozen routes and start locations that we rotate through.  This keeps it fresh and interesting for everyone.  The start location is always on the ET Calendar 30 day view along with a google directional map to get you to the right start location while driving.  We also upload the turn-by-turn bike route instructions to our bike route page so that riders can view in advance and download/print a copy if they'd like to have one for the ride.

ET TRAINING: 

Question: I am curious about training groups for triathlons. I have never done a triathlon before, are there any training groups that I can be connected with? I also would like to learn about the whole triathlon experience, because I am clueless right now.

Answer: We have a many resources at ET for first timers.  Here are just a few...

• Our Tri 150 Training Class is a great way to learn about the race itself (You'll have a small group (less than 8 athletes) and two very experienced coaches to teach you about triathlon.  You also get several workouts each class and some guidance on what to do on the other 6 days each week)
• We also have a fun and friendly Tri Club group to workout with.
• We have over 25 swim, bike or run classes every week, year round
• And our most popular offering for first timers is to hire a Personal Coach as you triathlon mentor.

ET Masters/swim: 

Question: Can you explain more about the Masters Swim Class vs Private swim lessons?

Answer: Our Masters program is for anyone that can swim laps comfortably.  We suggest that swimmers be able to complete at least a 1000 yds 'total' (not continuously) during the hour session in order to benefit from the workouts.

• Masters is not swim lessons.  It is more of a coach guided group workout.  The coach can occasionally point out an improvement area for you, but swimmers should not join Masters expecting it to be "lesson like".
• Our private lessons are the best approach to getting individual help with stroke technique issues.  The one-on-one focus from a coach for 30 minutes can make a huge improvement in technique.  Private lessons are $43 for 30 minutes.