Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Exercise

Chat to other fitness enthusiasts on our Exercise forum.

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:
Original poster
pootlebug · 11/03/2015 19:59

Kudos to you for contemplating a tri with a bf baby, Whatever! I waited until DC3 had jacked it in and started sort-of sleeping before I tried anything of the sort!

Ebay is worth a look for a bike - especially if you can get an opinion from your brother. My initial bike was a carbon-framed road bike (RRP about £1200, I paid £300 in good condition). It is a reasonable bike but unfortunately a bit small for me…it is still sitting in my house but I need to sell it really. I did my first tri on it then bought a tri bike, but it had been altered by previous owner to drop bars instead of tri bars. Again, I paid about 1/4 of RRP on ebay (bike 3 years old), although if it still had its tri bars I would have paid more. I love it sooooo much. Lots of people admire it at triathlons. I had to look a while for both of these though.

Popular brands tend to command higher prices. So look for e.g Jamis or Orbea rather than Giant etc….consider what is more popular in the UK.

RB32 if you have a chance to practice in open water, I'd go for it. You don't have to be a great swimmer (and plenty of people aren't) but it helps if you can avoid panicking.... Swimming in open water is VERY different, and can be quite freaky until you get used to it.

OP posts:
whateverloser · 11/03/2015 19:00

I'll certainly start looking around for a bike. My brother does time trials so he could come with me. Unfortunately I'm not really tall enough to borrow his. ( also I am worried about turning up and the bike being far better than I am!).
I am near Newport, with regards finding a coach, and yes I really need some 1:1 lessons. All I need to do now is persuade the baby that she no longer needs to breastfeed- it is interrupting my training!

rb32 · 11/03/2015 12:53

Hello all, doing my first tri in May (olympic distance). I'm coming from three years of running so not worried about that. Did the cycle route a few weeks back and that was fine, definatly could've done the 10k after it so not worried about that.

Really worried about the swim though! I'm an ok swimmer but never done that kind of distance in open water before :/ Was doing quite well for a month going to the pool twice a week but got out of the habit for the past month. Must get back in the pool!!

CMOTDibbler · 11/03/2015 09:19

A road bike of some sort - which depends on your height (much more choice in mens sizes for instance) and budget.
DH has a Felt bike from Wiggle which was £450 and is serving him very well, I have a Cannondale Synapse alloy which is lovely, but I'm tall and need a 56cm bike.

If you have a good local (pref independant) bike shop, then asking their advice is incredibly helpful if they are nice people. This can be judged by going in and seeing if they want to help you - if they ignore you or are pushy on high price things, then don't bother. My local looks scary from the outside as they really cater to high end racers, but they are unfailingly lovely, and incredibly happy to advise, find solutions, try and get into the right price range by sourcing last seasons models, trade ins, lower spec bike with modifications and so on.

Oh, and swimming - get some lessons, pref 1:1 with a tri specialist if you can. It will make a massive difference really quickly. Vaguely which area of S Wales are you? I have a friend near Merthyr who is in a tri club and might know of a coach

Thistledew · 10/03/2015 07:53

I would definitely recommend a road bike of some sort. People do compete on all sorts - hybrids, mountain bikes, and I have even seen a Brompton at one event! But if you are buying a bike specifically to do triathlon on then it makes sense to buy the fastest bike you can.

Beyond that, recommendations depend on your budget, but to get something reasonable you would be looking at a minimum of £500 for something second hand.

whateverloser · 09/03/2015 22:54

So as a novice, what sort of bike would you all recommend?

golemmings · 09/03/2015 21:57

Piggy, shrewsbury tri is 500m swim - and it's down stream too. If the river is high it takes about 6 minutes!

Saturday's hill run was an epic. 13.1 miles, 3,185ft ascent over 4 hills. Moving time was about 2:57:00 - but we had a wee break when one of the team decided to fly down a descent. She overtook us briefly whilst airborne before trashing her elbow. She's one tough lady though and carried on running. Route was stunning though and the weather was perfect but I've got a lot of work to do before a half in April then a quad in May. Planning an early morning 10 miler later this week but I REALLY ought to dig my bike out...

Thereyouarepeter · 09/03/2015 17:19

Place marking as I'm doing 3 or 4 sprints this year and oly later into the season.

whateverloser · 09/03/2015 17:17

I just looked at that one and it seems perfectly doable. I'm more scared now it looks distinctly possible. I really need to work on the swim. I am not a natural swimmer, shall we say!

CMOTDibbler · 09/03/2015 16:27

How about the Cardiff try a tri? Its aimed at first timers so should be really supportive

Good on you for facing something scary after a bad year

whateverloser · 09/03/2015 16:22

Brilliant- thanks everyone. I'm really excited by the prospect. I set myself the challenge of doing something that scared me ( swimming), after a particularly horrible year ( nasty divorce. ..), so the training has been a really positive step on the road to recovery. I'm really looking forward to it- just have to find one close by now. ( South Wales area)

Original poster
pootlebug · 09/03/2015 07:53

Whatever - if you're concerned by the swimming, then there are a number of Sprint races with a short swim - so where a normal sprint would be 750/20/5, they are something like 400/20/5, or 500/20/5. Also, stay at the back out of the way so that you don't get kicked and bumped too much, which is particularly off-putting if you're not as confident a swimmer. You can have fun overtaking people on the bike.

You can look at previous years results for times, though sometimes they can make you panic unnecessarily….I signed up for the London triathlon and initially panicked when I looked at prior times. But when I actually did it the bike course was more like 36km than 40km….hence the good bike times. In most races there will be everything from people whizzing past you on v v expensive tri bikes with £400 aerodynamic helmets on their heads, to people trudging along slowly on an old mountain bike. Equally there will be people who can run 5k so fast you'd never believe they just did the previous bits, and people who are walk-jogging the whole thing.

The Women Only triathlon at Eton Dorney was a 400/20/5, was a really friendly race, and the standard wasn't too high (it was easily my best result, even just counting where I came amongst all females in mixed races). The Triathlon Pink series is also women-only and specifically aimed at people new to triathlon - although the races are very much on the short side….I'd be more tempted to just go for it and sign up to a proper sprint.

OP posts:
CMOTDibbler · 09/03/2015 07:30

Whatever - the sprint pool event I did last year (the Henley one run by UKTriathlon, which I would heartily recommend as it was so welcoming, well run and there were loads of first timers) had pool times for women ranging from 6 minutes to 13 minutes.

PiggyBeekman · 08/03/2015 22:42

Just popping in to say thanks for the wetsuit advice - am away this week but training starts in earnest on the 16th so will be back no doubt with more stupid questions!

Whatever - I'm a novice too but I've downloaded the 2014 results from the race I have entered to see what the times are like in my age category. It's something to aim for and I can prepare myself if it looks like I'm going to finish last Hmm Grin

whateverloser · 08/03/2015 22:22

Hi all. As a total novice to fitness ( although I now very much have the bug), what sort of times do people usually do on the different elements in a sprint triathlon? The run and bike aren't worrying me too much, but my swimming is shocking at the moment. I haven't entered anything yet either, but am on the lookout for an event that wouldn't be too scary for a novice. Thanks

Original poster
pootlebug · 08/03/2015 17:06

Hi Golemmings! 13-14 miles of hills sounds like a good run. I have a half marathon booked for the end of the month (booked before I got injured) and I'm still nowhere near back up to HM distances. Will give it another week or two then decide whether to do it.

OP posts:
Original poster
pootlebug · 08/03/2015 16:59

MissladyClare - It feels like I'm pushing it with a half in season 2 of tri too. Hopefully it will be easier than we think! I know the big birthday thing….big one here next year and I have insane considerations of doing a full ironman long race of some sort. Planning gone a bit awry with having had to cancel my spring marathon this year due to injury though….I had planned a half ironman, a marathon, a long bike ride, and a long swim this year, then see how I feel about it all….

OP posts:
Missladyclare · 08/03/2015 11:06

Pootlebug - I've entered the new dublin half. I'm probably about a season or two too soon for it but I've a big birthday this year and wanted to mark it! Are you following any training plan?

Twink - that's a big worry of mine. Really concerned about not making bike cut off times.

Good luck with training everyone.

golemmings · 07/03/2015 20:23

Hi! Can i join You? I'm a quad rather than a tri athlete. Got back into the pool 2 weeks ago after last race in September. Not cycled or padded since then either. But ran 13-14 miles of hills today. I'm aiming for Brigg at the end of may which is a standard distance but have a hilly half marathon before then. Today proved just how much work i have to do for the half.

Original poster
pootlebug · 07/03/2015 19:37

You are both braver than me with the tribars. My bike is a tri bike that the previous owner changed to drop bars and I've never had the guts to change it back. I have some add-on tri bars but I took them off again - hatred of cycling in london traffic = not enough time on a real bike = not confident enough on the bike. People overtake me on the downhills as I haven't the guts to go fast enough and then I go past them on the way up….

Not enough training today - 10k-ish run with some friends but that's it. Need to get up and do some hill training on the bike early tomorrow (I can do it on the closed road in the park before it gets busy…..see above on wuss and traffic), then I'll try and swim later in the day.

Still not following a proper training plan. Need to research this evening/tomorrow evening and attack the training in earnest from Monday I think.

Good luck with TTC, Thistledew

OP posts:
Thistledew · 07/03/2015 19:30

I had a bike fit nearly a year ago, and found it made quite a difference, once my body had adjusted. Tri bars are a great addition too- they knocked a few minutes off my time and also made it all feel a lot easier, as you use some much less effort with you upper body. I must get mine dusted off and used to using them again.

I am actually now thinking it is a strain in my calf muscle rather than Achilles, which is less bad. I was out for a run and going down hill when I suddenly got a sharp pain, and had to immediately stop. It had been a little tight the last time I ran (a week ago) but up until that point on the run had been feeling fine.

Annoyingly, I was at the furthest point on my run and had 3 miles to get home whatever distance I went. I had no phone or money on me, but luckily wasn't too far from a bus route, and a kindly driver took pity on me and let me ride for free! Smile

CMOTDibbler · 07/03/2015 18:45

Doesn't it just Claybury. After riding and running in the cold and wet, being out in the sun today was just glorious.

Good luck with the TTC Thistledew. And with the achilles - is there anything you've changed that might contribute to it? I gave myself tendonitis back in October by spending all day in heels and then going straight out running (foolish, but I was in California and had a really tight window to see the seals before the evening work meeting started).

I had a bike fit today, and have come home with tribars on Grin. It straightened my back up massively, and they've set everything up beautifully now and adjusted my splint to work with the tribars. Now I have to get used to them!

Thistledew · 07/03/2015 16:28

Hi Folks!

Good to see familiar names from last year's threads and new people too.

I am planing on doing my third season this year- but also TTC at the moment, so will book events month by month.

I finished last season with an Olympic distance and felt really quite comfortable with the step up in distance from sprint. I will start with a sprint event this year but hope to do some more Olympic.

However, I've just been out for a run, and have a horrible feeling I've done something nasty to my Achilles. Sad I was half way round my 10k route when it suddenly was horribly painful and I had to blag a ride home on the bus, as I had no money with meBlush.

I do have half a thought that if I am not pregnant by the end of the summer I might do a half ironman.

Claybury · 07/03/2015 16:08

The sun is out ! I'm in TRI mode. Doesn't doing triathlon make you love summer even more !

CMOTDibbler · 06/03/2015 20:01

June, I think we all feel foolish in trisuits. They aren't the most flattering item of clothing, but thats the last thing on your mind on the day. You sound like you are training well, but the transitions do need practice. Esp the actual process of putting everything out.

I was all proud yesterday as someone at swimming complimented me on my upper body strength Grin

Family Parkrun tomorrow, then club cycling on Sunday morning for all of us as the C ride is going on a route ds can keep up with, which is really nice as it makes a change for me!

Swipe left for the next trending thread