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Original poster

Summer 2015 triathletes….

208 replies

pootlebug · 04/03/2015 10:43

Anyone else? We had a thread last summer so thought I'd start a new one. Please join in whether you're just contemplating your first one or a seasoned triathlete!

Did my first season last year - 2 sprints and 2 olympic. I am panicking as signed up for half ironman in June. Winter was plagued with injuries and now although I'm back to training I'm not nearly as fit as I was and it doesn't feel like long enough to get there. Will give it a good go though. Planning a Sprint in early May and an Olympic end of May as warm-up races.

Come and join me!

OP posts:
whateverloser · 14/06/2015 20:17

How was the Tumble? I live near there and drove up it with my children to show them just how steep it was!

CMOTDibbler · 14/06/2015 18:37

Well done Whateverloser - couch to tri in 4 months is amazing.

Velothon Wales was fantastic. Riding through a city on closed roads was v cool, and cycling to the start at 6am while drunk people were still walking home was funny. I'd really recommend it (though we will draw a veil over the horror of caerphilly mountain)

whateverloser · 14/06/2015 17:10

Well ladies, I completed my first triathlon this morning. A huge achievement for me as this was couch to triathlon in four and a half months, so I'm pleased with that. It was a sprint one so more manageable. Thanks for all the advice earlier in the year. Not sure if I'll do another one- the swim was a real challenge!

Original poster
pootlebug · 12/06/2015 19:39

Oh have fun at Velothon Wales! Hope it goes well. And good luck for Henley too.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 12/06/2015 09:42

Good luck Pootlebug. I'm sure you will do great.

DH and I are off to Velothon Wales on Sunday Grin then next weekend is Henley sprint tri for me.

Well done on completing Hyde Park Clure

Original poster
pootlebug · 12/06/2015 07:41

Ooh, lucky you, Clure - I applied for Ride London but didn't get it.

Well done at Hyde Park on a crappy day….I was Oly-ing in Essex the same day and was lucky to avoid rain, although it was windy on the bike.

The good thing with being a weak swimmer is that you get to go past people on the bike! The swim is usually my best leg, but the bike my worst….meaning that a gazillion people whizz past me in the first 10 mins of cycling.

Hurrah weather forecast for Staffordshire is still crappy rain and cold, but at least the forecast strong winds have been revised to lighter ones….hoping it stays that way!

OP posts:
Clure · 11/06/2015 22:58

Hi ladies. Loving this thread. I did Hyde park olympic 2 weeks ago, flipping cold and wet and dangerous! My swim is painfully slow (always last out of the water!!) but I did it! A new wetsuit -without shark attack holes in made a difference! I was very pleased with my run though! I have Leeds Castle sprint and Ride London 100 in August.

TriJo · 11/06/2015 14:10

It's actually at the West Reservoir Centre in Stoke Newington! I was supposed to do the one there in May but wussed out because I'm relatively slow (70 minutes for 3k) and I'd be in 14c water for an uncomfortably long time. Moot point now though, I may not be able to do it because I found out this morning that I have a family christening in Dublin to attend that weekend.

Best of luck with Staffordshire! You'll be fine :)

Original poster
pootlebug · 11/06/2015 13:19

Hi TriJo - I'm doing London Oly too. Is your Open Water 3km at Dorney? Am contemplating adding a tri there the same day.

My A race is supposed to be Staffordshire 70.3 this weekend though. I am crapping myself. The weather forecast says cold, rainy, and most depressing of all - very windy. Arghhh. I'm barely ready as it is….adding in wind on the bike (my weakest leg) is really really not going to help matters.

OP posts:
TriJo · 10/06/2015 14:40

Doing London Triathlon oly in August as my A race, starting my season late (July) because of my wedding and honeymoon taking a three week chunk out of my training! I have a 3km open water swim on July 12 and a sprint tri on July 19 before it, would normally have done the Rapha Women's 100 as my longest spin but hubby's parents are over for the London Diamond League that weekend so can't really do it then.

Planning a sneaky skins dip in the ladies pond at Hampstead Heath later, still jetlagged to hell after coming home from California a couple of days ago so taking it handy :)

LornMowa · 03/06/2015 14:31

The Erewash one in August.

Original poster
pootlebug · 03/06/2015 14:30

LornMowa - My race belt was a fiver. Worth it for me as often you're only given one number which has to be on the back on the bike leg and on the front on the run leg. Mine is elasticated, and adjustable, so it doesn't fall down and you can wear it where you like - waist, hips etc.

There's lots on ebay around the £3-4 mark.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 03/06/2015 14:28

I'd get a race belt as they are adjustable, and other wise you are trying to pull a jersey with a number pinned on over your wet body which is really hard. And you have to have your number on your back to cycle and front for run.

Which sprint are you doing?

LornMowa · 03/06/2015 14:23

I thought I would drop in an say hi! After many months of vacillating, I have finally signed up for my first sprint triathlon.

I put it off for ages because my running ability is so unpredictable. I only started running last year and I'm quite pleased with my 5km Parkrun PB which is 28.53 (at age 49) but I frequently set off too fast and end up getting horrendous calf cramp which prevents me from walking never mind running.

My goal for this year is just to get round the whole thing in one piece although I don't want to be last.

When I was booking my place, I was given the option to buy a race belt which I declined because it was £8 which seemed expensive and because most belts that come with trousers are too big for me and I didn't want to find out on the day of the race that I had to use something that would slip down around my feet! Does anyone have any recommendations or should I just use safety pins?

CMOTDibbler · 03/06/2015 14:06

I'd add

Read the race information. Several times.
Don't get on your bike before the mount line, or stay on it after the dismount.
Lay everything out at home like you will for transition - sunglasses in helmet, race belt under helmet etc. Practice putting it all on in order.
Do an emergency bag of spare inner tube, safety pins, sports bra, cycling shorts, swim hat, goggles so that if anything breaks before you start you have an alternative (after having to race in a pinned together tri suit last year when the zip broke)

And enjoy it - it really is fun, honest!

Original poster
pootlebug · 03/06/2015 13:47

Tips for Whatever:

  • Practice bike-to-run transition. Your legs feel like lead. Just try and keep them running as best you can and within a km or so they'll start to feel like normal legs again
  • Use a checklist to remember everything you need on the day….it all adds up!
  • Go through transition in your head several times for swim/bike and bike/run so that you're comfortable with it.
  • Enjoy it! I still always think 'what the hell am I doing' when waiting to set off on the swim, but then settle into it once I get going.

Is it open water or pool? If the former, have you had a practice in a lake?

OP posts:
whateverloser · 02/06/2015 23:17

Well I have my first ever triathlon ( a sprint one), in twelve days. Scared and serious cold feet now. Any tips for a novice?

Original poster
pootlebug · 01/06/2015 21:12

Well done on the 10k!

If you want to sustain a faster pace, can you try to lengthen your intervals? So e.g. initially you might do 2 mins fast, 1 min recovery. Lengthen it to 4 mins fast, 1.5 mins recovery, or 5 mins fast, 2 mins recovery. Then try to up it to say 7 mins fast, 2-3 mins recovery. I find doing that really tough, but it brings quick gains in terms of fitness. On holiday last summer I really went for it on increasing interval lengths. By the end of the week I could really feel a difference in my running.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 31/05/2015 16:22

Good thanks - 56 min, which I'm happy with. I really need to work on speed, but in spite of doing intervals etc, I just find it hard to sustain a fast pace. All that seems to have happened is that I can go up hills at the same pace as on the flat now, and at my preferred pace I can go on and on.

You are possibly right about my sleeves - I can't pull my own wetsuit sleeve up on my good arm, and the last two times I've had to ask a stranger to do so, which has been an issue. I may have to try something like a calving glove to let the sleeve pull up better - I'm tall, so the legs are half way up my calves, so no surprise the sleeves should be higher.

Original poster
pootlebug · 31/05/2015 14:06

How was your 10k?, CMOTD?

I have this one xterrawetsuits.co.uk/products/womens-vector-pro-x3.html

I was lucky enough to pick one up for just over £100 from a company that had been hiring them out and were selling ex-hire ones (and my brand new with tags one which had been planned for hire but not actually hired). I love it….lots of buoyancy on the legs and really flexible arms. My first wetsuit swim in ages always feels tough, but once I've done 2 or 3 it feels so easy compared to no wetsuit, and I'm about 10 seconds per 100m faster in it.

Probably stating the blatantly obvious but do you have the arms pulled right up at the armpits - even it it means that they aren't long enough to reach your wrists? Any slight gape at the armpits can make movement much harder.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 30/05/2015 18:42

I don't like evenings either. Especially not the 9-10pm lane swim session.

What wetsuit do you have? I like mine in the body and legs, but the arms are really tight, and I feel like I'm fighting against it.

Original poster
pootlebug · 28/05/2015 23:00

Velothon sounds fun - it will be really nice for you and DH to do it together. It's a massive difference between the two courses once you add in hills isn't it? An in-between wouldn't be a bad thing!

Turbo - dunno. Just had no energy left. Evenings are not my top training time, but the only time I could do today. Pushed too hard on the swim, maybe? (took 1.5 mins off my 1900m time from earlier in the week). Not eaten enough or the right stuff? Hard to tell though - Sat I did 70km bike on hardly any fuel, then got off and did a reasonably fast 6k run (couldn't do longer due to other commitments) and was fine. Just not an evening person maybe.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 28/05/2015 22:05

DH and I are doing the short course together. A very kind friend who lives in Cardiff is looking after ds for a few hours - its no under 16's, so it will be my first cycle event without having to keep up a cheery monologue.
The length of the long course wouldn't be a problem, but doing the Tumble would be an issue for me, but I think dh will do it next year.

What went wrong on the turbo?

Original poster
pootlebug · 28/05/2015 21:32

Good luck on Sunday CMOTD. Velothon Wales looks great - which distance are you doing? Are you doing the shorter one with DS?

Just did a really great swim session in the local lido, in my wetsuit. Followed by an epically crap bike turbo session in the adjoining gym. Aarghhh.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 27/05/2015 10:54

It was really good thanks - first time I've had any run training, and the swim was great. We were in the return channel, so all the same buoys as the main lake, and we did deep water starts, people swimming through you, exit practice and swim form.

Good luck on Saturday!

I have - a women only 10k run on Sunday, Velothon Wales on June 14th, pool sprint tri 21st, then nothing booked till late July... yet. Entered a para tri at Dorney in August which should be fun.

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