Summer 2015 triathletes….

Oh no Pleaseputmyshoes on, that must have been a nasty shock this morning. Was your bike insured?

Hi Katie, have you downloaded one of the 16 week beginner plans?

Ooooh Thistle, a TT bike! You'll have to get an aero helmet to go with that of course!

I did a 27 mile event with ds this morning (while DH did the 50) which had some horrid hills in it. Ds was a total champ, fuelled by his new banana gels and the psychological effect of his first caffeine gel after he managed to get his chain off and was feeling sad for himself.

A small celebration for me this week when I managed to do 2km in under an hour in the pool on Friday. I haven't managed that far before, and have really improved both speed and sustained speed.

I've entered a sprint tri that is very local to me for the first May bank holiday. A 6 mile cycle to the start is a good warm up.

I'm feeling good about the swim and cycle, but have picked up some sort of injury to my calf, which has meant that I have not been able to run for about 5 weeks now. I have been having Physio on it and have my fingers crossed that it will be good enough to do at least one short run before the event.

I'm looking forward to the swim at this event as I have been training in the pool over the winter and have swum the 425m that is set for the event in about a minute and a half quicker than I was swimming last year.

I may also have a new toy for the bike leg too- DH is very keen on his Time Trialling and has bought himself a new TT specific bike, which should be adjustable for me to ride as well!

Just a shame about my running then!

My top tri tip. Don't leave your bike in the car. Like I did for a 6am start this morning for a sprint tri. Woke up to find it gone. My lovely specialized road bike has gone. I had to do a hilly cycle on a very much seen better days clunky mountain bike. Not fun! Sods law that it was the first time it wasn't in the house overnight.

Can i join please? Decided to do a pool based swim sprint tri in August.

I haven't swum front crawl in years and gave myself PF after a run last year so haven't run since then.

17 weeks to sort myself out then!

How is training going for everyone?

Of the last three weeks, I've travelled to the US for work for two, and had one week of holiday with ds, so things were a bit disrupted for me. However I did manage to haul myself out of bed early when away to run or cycle in the gym, and it was lovely to swim outside in the dark.

No I mean the even more embarrassing thing of taking your bike to the pool, churning up and down in your tri suit then dripping out to the bike. This is easier if someone will wait with your bike and kit

CMOT, you mean getiing out of the shower in my tri suit and then going for a cycle? My wife will think I've finally lost it!

Its worth (no matter how much of a twit it makes you feel) doing a swim/bike brick session to get used to the weird feeling of cycling in a wet tri suit.

You'll also need some Bodyglide to stop chafing around the neck of your wetsuit, and where you would normally use chamois cream

Thanks for the advice guys. I bought a tri suit and am renting a wetsuit for the day. Went out on the bike in the tri suit and it was fine, should be ok running in it.

Its the women only tri training day - I thought it would be a good way of getting some time in the lake outside of an actual event.

DS is over the moon as we had the next terms school club list through, and they are having triathlon club as he isn't very good at rugby/football/cricket, something he can do will be great.

Wet suit it is then and maybe just some shorts and a tight fitting running top (long or short sleeved depending on how cold it is). Got a helmet, didn't know about race belts :) ta

You will most def need a wetsuit at the beginning of May! It will be compulsory in fact.

Swimming caps will be provided.

A tri suit has some padding, so you won't need your cycling shorts, but you might want a top to pull on depending on weather.

You'll also need a racebelt and pins to put your number on. And obv your cycling helmet.

I'll be in Dorney at the end of May

Right, so just been looking at the kit. Does this sound about right to you lot for a man doing a tri in a rowing lake at the beginning of may:

Start off wearing a tri-suit, goggles. Do I need a swimming cap? Should I get a wet-suit to gover the top of the tri-suit?

In T1, put my trusty padded cycle shorts over the top of tri-suit, socks and running trainers.

T2, simply remove the cycling shorts.

Well I've been a bit shit training recently. No swimming, running or cycling for near enough two weeks (and only 40 days to go until my tri!). Blaming the stresses of needing to find a new job....

So, new job in hand, I'm back on it. 8miles run, hour on the bike (exercise OR real), hour swimming on rotation every day with the occasional rest in there once a week. Going to aim to put in a decent 'brick' session in once every weekend.

Need to decise what to wear on the day though.

when I'm doing my hard groups swimming I reckon I have to feel like chucking to be at max work.

I was at a tri expo today, and chatted with the lady from Less Bounce was really helpful and knew her bras - give her a call for a chat

Blimey oh riley, I did my first ever session with a tri club in the pool last night. I swear I nearly drowned. Good lord. still I'm sure it did me good .

I'll have a look for a non-chaffing bra.

My bra doesn't chafe - you do need to select carefully so its not one with a cotton lining or padding otherwise it would be v grim. Less Bounce do a bra designed for tri.

Its gorgeous here today, and I had a lovely run to the pool (the long way), and the bottom of the pool was all sunny. Then I ran home to get back for this afternoons conference calls

Clay - that sounds hideous re. the wee - I would have peed myself without a doubt. Reading this thread reminds me to do my pelvic floor exercises!

Re. the sports bra - do you swim in it too? Does it not chafe terribly then?

Oh god you have reminded about the post swim wee! I did a 10k run of an oly Distance tri with a very full bladder once and nowhere to go - Eton Dorney is very open! What to do? The bike with a full bladder is ok but running at the end is a horror.
Meggy - I always wear a sports bra for the whole tri. Under tri suit or separate tri shorts and top. You will find separates mores useful as you will wear then in training. Also as a friend discovered if you do stop for pee separates are better......

I bought a £10 one from Start Fitness to start with, and now have a second hand better one from Ebay. Either way, I wear a sports bra underneath.

More local tri is 20 min drive tops, other is an hour. Am not a club member, though possibly members of my bike club might do the local one.

Thanks CMOT. Slightly disinclined to buy a tri suit for a one off until I know I'm going to do another but have padded tri- shorts so that part works. Any cheap ideas for the top?I'm not wildly well endowed but still don't want to be jiggling about.

Re. Local v not-local - depends how far away and whether you're a member of your local club in which case you may feel you want to support that one. Otherwise I'm a sucker for a free t-shirt!

Hi Meggy. if you work at it, then you should be able to make a lot of bike progress in 6 weeks. It might well be worth getting a bike fit in before that (my local bike shop charge £60, with unlimited adjustments afterwards) so that the bike is all correct for your shape.

As for the other questions - well, I'd normally be a big weeer after swimming, but I think that as you are only in the pool a short time, and your mind is on other things, and sweaty it doesn't seem to be an issue for me.
The pelvic floor issue isn't one I have, but if you just leak a little, then in a trisuit, which has a wet chamois in it already, no one is going to notice at all.

I have a question as well - I can enter one of two sprint tris in May (same day). One is local, and last year had 160 entrants in total. Run by local, smallish tri club.
Other is a bit further, 160 odd women in the sprint category (also super sprint and relay) last year, many more men. Run by a company who were excellent at the event I did last year. Nice medal and t shirt.

Which one should I do?

Hi all - just wondering if it's not too late to join you all. I have entered a sprint-tri for June this year. First one ever. I am not naturally athletic shall we say but have run (plodded) for a long time.

I couldn't swim front crawl at all so started lessons about 6 weeks ago and managed a mile last night so was very impressed with myself but feeling knackered today!

My main worry is the bike. I actually have a reasonable (albeit very old) bike as am married to a very keen cyclist from years gone back. I have a half marathon in 5 weeks, which will give me 6 weeks after that to prepare for the tri. Will 6 weeks be enough to get the bike better? I am not worried about the swim because it is so short. Not worried about the run either but I am worried about the bike. Not that I won't get round, as I know I can but just that it'll be really slow. The distance is not the issue - the speed (or considerable lack of it) is. I know it shouldn't really matter but as I already know I can do the distance, I'd like to do it as quickly as I can.

I also have a question I can ask nowhere else other than here - prepare yourselves...I have a decidedly crap pelvic floor. I usually wear a pad when running (nice). I have also noticed that I must inadvertently take in a heck of a lot of water when swimming as I wee like crazy for about an hour afterwards. How on earth is this going to work?? Any advice at all gratefully received.