Summer 2015 triathletes….

Whereis - for me the biggest downside to Staffordshire was the time taken to register, rack bikes etc. Partly because it was a split-site course, partly because it was a long walk from car park to where you were going at both sites etc. But from queueing for the car park at Shugborough, to getting back out of the carpark at Chasewater, took 4.5 hours. Adding on the time it took getting from where I was staying with my folks in Derby and it felt like pretty much the whole day gone - certainly my kids were under the impression I'd finished racing, not that I was yet to start!

I had in my head that I fancied a full one for my 40th birthday (next year). At two opposite ends of the faff/expense scale, both Ironman Kalmar (Sweden), and the Midnight Man iron-distance race will take place on my birthday next year. But then I stop and think that a) I might not want to do the actual race on my birthday, and more importantly b) I didn't train enough for the half….I just don't know how on earth I would fit in training for full distance with commitments of kids, work etc.

I've registered interest for Outlaw (both full and half) and will look out for what others might work. I hate having to book it all so early though. I still would really like to attempt to qualify for a London Marathon place if I could (3.45 until I'm 41, then 3.50)…which in theory should be possible given I did a 1.45 half, but I've never done a Marathon before so have no idea how it will go to up the distance. Assuming that I enjoy Yorkshire and manage sub-4 hours, I might aim for a spring one to have another go at sub 3.45. But in that case I should leave a half-ironman til later in the year. Or I could just try and get faster at Oly and sprint, which would probably fit much better with the amount of time I have to train!

Tried to keep up the long run a bit but had a bit of a lull post 70.3 and then a further lull with a vomit bug this week…..so hoping to hit the training harder next week. I still have an Oly tri left in early August though so still need to keep up the cycling til then.

Whereisthesnow - I enjoyed Staffs 70.3. It was my first half though, so I don't have much to compare it to (and 3 sprints and 3 Oly's).

The run course was fine when I was on it - busy for my first lap and gradually getting quieter. I started in the last wave (women were the last 2 waves, with 40+ year olds starting 10 mins ahead of 18-39, and around 250 people per wave), but I was about 1/3 of the way down the overall womens field, so there were still a fair few people on the course when I finished.

To be honest I heard complaints from earlier that the run course was too busy. It was narrow in parts and on my first lap was tougher to get past people at times. I guess if you're at the back of the last wave the run course will be quiet and that's that. To be fair I think plenty of people were still supporting….athletes were starting to leave but a fair few stuck around and there was loads of support on the run course when I finished it.

There was some moaning about bike course and tiny country lanes at the start of it. But they were well swept, it wasn't really an issue re getting past people - the field soon spreads out. There was one unexpected steep uphill just after a blind corner about 10km in that led to a few falling off not able to crank down the gears fast enough that could have done with a warning sign, but that was about it. Course was scenic and varied. I could have lived without the climb up Cannock Chase at the end, but that's because I'm a weak cyclist who hadn't done enough training!

Lake was lovely - really clear and nice to swim in.

I did the Super Sprint at the Women Only day last year. It was really fun - great atmosphere that was competitive but supportive, and on the whole it is a much easier field than most races so you get to feel great about your place (I was in the top 10 finishers out of 400+ - which believe me wouldn't happen normally!). I would go back but live right over the other side of London and it's a pain in the bum to get to.

It's me that's doing the Yorkshire Marathon as well! How is your training going?

Rhubarb you'd definitely be better with a standard 'sprint' distance (half of a Standard / Olympic distance) which is 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run.
So long as you get a triathlon-specific wetsuit then once you get used to it you usually swim faster. You barely have to kick either, because of the buoyancy in the legs, which helps save your energy for the bits after.

Well done rb32 and Rhubarb on your first tris!

Rhubarb - I don't know the Canterbury course but had a quick squizz on the website - definitely a very bike-focussed one with a slightly long bike course and v short swim. How are you at swimming? The change to open water rather than pool based brings new challenges but it's really rewarding.

And that's amazing on the times - you'd have totally smashed last year without the tyre thing!

CMOT if you're having a wobble about navigating all the traffic between Excel and Tower Bridge (and indeed some of the main roads between bikes are prohibited anyway, so check out your route), you can ride along the Thames Path. Sometimes it goes along roads a bit but most of the way is off-road (it's our main London-based cycling with the kids, as there are very few roads around here really suitable for 5 year olds). It's not fast, although you could cut through Canary Wharf, which is quiet on the weekend, to avoid the extra Isle of Dogs curve of the river.

If you really want to cheat, you can also take bikes on the DLR at weekends….

I am a bit jealous - applied for but didn't get a Ride London place.

I only have one more Tri booked - the London Triathlon 8/9 August. Just signed up for the Yorkshire Marathon in Oct. May add a July tri, and there's an open water swimming event in Devon which coincides with our holiday that I have my eye on….

That must have been really annoying, CMOT. Even if it's not your 'A' race it is still annoying not to get a proper time etc. I actually practiced taking inner tubes & tyres on and off my bike before my half - was determined that if I did get a flat it shouldn't take me my usual half hour of faffing with it!

On the bright side - if the swim and run were good, and the bike pre-puncture, it bodes well for next time hopefully! When is your next one?

Whatever - couch to triathlon in 4.5 months is amazing! You should be really proud of yourself. What was hard on the swim - had you practiced open water? It can be tricky to get used to compared to a pool.

CMOTD - Sounds like you had a great day! I sometimes see people staggering home on early morning runs (went out for a training run the other week at 5.30am, only to meet a school-run dad staggering home rather the worse for wear )

I survived my half-ironman!! Slower than I really wanted, and the lack of cycle training really showed, in both the cycle and the run after when I was wrecked. Plus it would appear that orange powerade doesn't agree with me….I only have one bottle on my bike so needed to grab others at feed stations. I usually have High5 stuff which is fine but I had real stomach cramps with the powerade which persisted through most of bike and the run. But although it was bloody hard, it was fun, and I felt amazing across the finish line. Managed about 1/3 of the way down the female entries which will do me for a first attempt. I'm glad I stuck with it - 6/7 weeks ago I was really tempted to pull out due to lack of training for a variety of reasons.