Tri harder - calling any triathletes.

[CardiCorgi]

I have signed up for a sprint triathlon. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go [eek]. I don't know if I will be able to squeeze myself into my tri suit by then.

Anyone else doing one this summer?

I usually do a few during the summer but this season haven't been able to get out for a swim in our local lakes. My swim is my weakest part and I'm a bit of a panicker and so this summer so far I have been doing duathlons until I can get out for a practise!

what have you done in the way of prep? Have you done any brick sessions?

One reason for doing this is to force myself to start training again - there's a ski event I want to do in March and unless I start now I won't be fit enough; however, I need something soon to get me over the initial hump of inertia. I am amazed at just how unfit having a baby has made me.

So far I have been doing: Tuesday, swim; Wednesday, run; Thursday, bike; Friday, swim; Saturday, brick and Sunday, bike.
Last Tuesday I went rowing and then jumped in the lake for my swim afterwards - brrrrr!

How do you fit training round family? DH has been running with me and he pushes the jogger with DD in it. For swimming we go to the pool and take it in turns to play with DD while the other one swims (this means a fairly short swimming session for each of us), but the cycle rides are the biggest problem - they take the most time and I feel guilty if I am out for too long. On the other hand, for me the cycle training is always the key to having enough energy to run.

You sound like you are doing a good range within your training. It is tough fitting training in. I'm fortunate in that I work part time so I can do my longer sessions on the days now my DD is at school. Otherwise like you its taking turns with my DH (who also trains a lot)

We tend to do evening sessions when DD has gone to bed, this sometimes means being knackered ourselves or weekends one of us will get up horrendously early to fit in a training session.

Now the better weather is here we have friends who are also keen triathletes/duathletes and runners and we meet at the lake for picnics/playarea to make it more of a family time and fit in a swim/run. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about being out for too long though!

I joined my local gym when DD was one and that's helped with varying my training, doing spin classes you get a 45 min intense work out, its not as good as being out on the bike but a reasonable substitute when time is short or during those dark winter nights!

I can't highly enough recommend a bike trailer. 2 kids and the shopping can fit in nicely and most can be converted for jogging too. I can't think of a better invention for family-centred exercise! Also how do you get to work? What about biking?

Do you have the trailer on your racing bike tandemtoosmall?

Thanks Clure, I had a feeling there wasn't going to be a magic solution to the problem of needing more hours in the day. I put my bike on the turbo trainer if I don't have time to get out; it's not nearly as much fun but seems to be a good way of getting an intense workout in a short time.

This weekend was a disaster - spent it in bed with a temperature, so I am now seriously lacking in bike time. Ho humm, I will survive the triathlon but fear that I will be bringing up the rear.

Hello Cardi, I did the Blenheim triathlon last month, and frankly I am now hooked. I live with a DP who is obsessed by triathlon, has done one half ironman so far this year, is doing another in September and the full ironman next year. Plus we have to watch them all on TV ...

Good luck for your event - which one is it? I think you have said you are doing swimming in a pool? Can I recommend (if your event is an outdoor swim) you get in some outdoor swimming time - firstly to get used to a wetsuit swimming ,and also to get used to swimming in a lake. That was something I was really glad I had braved before the event

Just thinking of signing up for Blenheim again next year but trying to decide between the sprint and supersprint.

It's a local one with sprint or Oly distance. I'm in the south of Germany and most of our tris are open water ones here, so I've done it before (including without a wetsuit at 16°C water temperature - brrrr).
I had an open water swim the other day, now just have to hope that the water is not over the wetsuit threshold - it was getting close last time I looked.

My original intention was to do a half ironman this summer, but with dd only being 8 months old, there is no way that I can get the amount of time on the bike that I would have needed.

Do the sprint. Then you will want to do an olympic distance,then a half and before you know it, you'll be training for an ironman. Possibly.
Which ironman is your dp doing?

I survived! And didn't come last, hooray.
It was clear that my training had been the absolute minimum as I felt really heavy on the run. Now to keep up the training and maybe do a running event in the autumn.