Summer 2015 triathletes….

[pootlebug]

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!

Which half ironman are you doing, Wimbleball? I did it a a few years ago. I need a kick up the ass at the moment, fitness levels are through the floor following a climbing accident (and now suffering from full-on flu ??) Last year was the first in about 10 when I didn't do a Tri, just supported dd through her first and I think I need to get something entered asap as a motivator.

. For better or worse, I'm back in!
I've booked a women only training day at Dorney to deal with my open water fears (and will book some local open water coaching) as I want to do the new para tri thats going to be there.

I haven't entered anything yet (apart from my welsh velothon), but have a spreadsheet of our assorted cycle, run and tri events that have been identified, so need to get a few more things booked!

The half ironman sounds sooo far in some ways, but in others I think, oooh, not that bad, maybe...

I've also got dh running and in the pool for the first time in 20 years, so he may be giving tri a go. DS is going to do a duathlon the day I'm at the training day. His main target is to do a 50 mile cycle event by the end of the year apparently.

Me! Hello. I entered the Brownlee Triathlon at Harewood House in September.

I've never done a triathlon before. I don't know what possessed me to enter but here we are! Will be watching closely for tips...I've done a lot of running events in the past but nothing like this.

Am full on busy with my other hobby until the week after next at which point tri training starts properly. I can do a respectable front crawl but first thing is to have a swimming lesson I think as my technique is shocking. Do you have to modify your stroke much when wearing a wetsuit?

Hello all!

Twink I'm doing the new Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire….should be flatter and easier than Wimbleball. Have you any event in mind?

CMOTD good to 'see' you again on the tri thread. Hopefully the training day helps with the open water thing. It's the bike that is scaring me just now on the half ironman, but you are a better cyclist than me I think. The swim is not after all that much further than Olympic. Sounds like your DS is really getting into it! My DS (5) and DD (7) are very keen to do the kids Scootathlon at Dorney if I do an Olympic there at the end of May. Quite how we'll get my bike + DS's bike and scooter, + DD's bike and scooter and all of us to the other side of London is something I haven't sussed yet.

PiggyB - don't worry, it's ages til September….plenty of time to train. You shouldn't have to modify your stroke in a wetsuit if it fits well. The main thing to get your head around is open water swimming and the lack of visibility and black line to follow. Practice transitions - especially bike to run, as it feels like your legs are made of lead for the first km or so of the run.

Anything would be flatter than Wimbleball!! I'll probably sign up for a couple of local sprints with dd but I'm not good at front crawl, can breastroke for ever but get really claustrophobic with crawl. Only managed to beat the Half ironman cut-off by 6 minutes which put quite a lot of pressure on in the bike but hey, I did it! That makes me nervous about doing Olympic distances despite my biking and running being ok. We've got a local Duathlon coming up soon so I might give that a go again too.

I rode the Wimbleball course before the event so I knew what to expect and was very glad I did, despite the horrendous logistics! It gave me confidence on the day and I knew that once I got off the bike then nothing was going to stop me finishing, even if I had to crawl....

I spent most of my training on the bike, my background was running so didn't do more than about 8 miles but lots of 'brick' sessions

PiggyB, it's important to have a Tri-specific wetsuit as they allow the shoulders to move properly. They give you extra buoyancy so swimming feels easier. If you don't want to buy one yet lots of places rent them

Loving the spreadsheet idea CMOT!

Can I join in too? I am signed up for my first sprint tri at the end of April, a second in May then depending on how those go another in Sept.

Seven weeks out and I am starting to worry! I know I can do the distance, can do the cycle then run, or the swim then run but am yet to put it all together.

How much training is necessary? At the moment I am swimming twice a week, 30-40 fc lengths, running twice between 2 -3.5 miles, and cycling once approx 10-12 miles. Is this going to be enough?

And what to wear? I have a tri suit but feel a bit of a fool in it! Are there any alternatives? I have a large derrière and cannot find shorts to fit hence the suit but just wondering what others do?

I have some health issues so this is a real challenge for me, alongside being a teacher and having a six and four year old!

It's all becoming a bit real!!!

Hi all. Hope you don't mind me joining in.

I completed 2 sprints last summer, then got injured and stupidly didn't give myself time to get over it. Really only fit again since Christmas. I've signed up for half ironman in August and hope to do a sprint and maybe two Olympics beforehand but have nothing else booked.

Hi and welcome, June2008 and Misslaydclare

June….I was in your position this time last year….convinced I hadn't done enough, not really sure at all how it was going to come together, etc. FWIW I still feel a fool in a tri suit but it is a very practical choice tbh - much easier than faffing with clothes changes in transition. Is your swim pool or open water? If the latter, it's important to practice in a lake/sea beforehand as it is a totally different experience to the pool (CMOTD and I can both testify to panicking in open water in our first go at it last year). Practicing bike-to-run transition is also worthwhile….your legs feel like lead. But the adrenaline & training should get you through on the day.

MissladyC - Which half ironman are you doing? Injury sucks, doesn't it? I am soooo hacked off at how much time I've 'wasted' being injured this winter.

Twink - I'm going to save Wimbleball for never when I'm fitter. I hate hills on the bike!

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

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!

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

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. 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 me.

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

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 . 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!

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!

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

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.

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.

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….

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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)

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

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!