The Triathlon thread - Ironman, 70.3, Olympic, Sprint
Discussion
I couldn't find a specific thread for triathlon so I thought I'd start one!
Triathlon training is a huge subject and can be a bit daunting knowing just where to start for those just starting (and even those already competing!) and I think it'd be a good idea to have a resource that people can tap into, as well as having a thread which (hopefully) motivates those PHers that are looking to get involved - it's an awesome sport that takes a fair degree of dedication, but delivers immense rewards.
So whether it's just a fleeting thought at the moment, your first triathlon coming up soon or even if you're a seasoned campaigner, it'd be good to hear about your goals, your race reports and how your training's going!!
Triathlon training is a huge subject and can be a bit daunting knowing just where to start for those just starting (and even those already competing!) and I think it'd be a good idea to have a resource that people can tap into, as well as having a thread which (hopefully) motivates those PHers that are looking to get involved - it's an awesome sport that takes a fair degree of dedication, but delivers immense rewards.
So whether it's just a fleeting thought at the moment, your first triathlon coming up soon or even if you're a seasoned campaigner, it'd be good to hear about your goals, your race reports and how your training's going!!
Yeah, I've seen a couple of threads in pedal powered, but being mindful of "rule 42", I thought I'd stick one in here and see if anyone's interested!
I've done about a dozen or so Olympic distance races and took the rather foolish decision to enter Ironman Lanzarote last August - it seemed such a long way off then!! I think we're now about 14 weeks away, so it's a great deal more "real" - part of me is really looking forward to the experience and what's left is dreading it!!!
Training's going OK, but January was terrible - I sneezed and blew my nose more than anything constructive. Back on it now though and my figures don't look like they've suffered too much for the lack of effort - just keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3 months!!!
I've done about a dozen or so Olympic distance races and took the rather foolish decision to enter Ironman Lanzarote last August - it seemed such a long way off then!! I think we're now about 14 weeks away, so it's a great deal more "real" - part of me is really looking forward to the experience and what's left is dreading it!!!
Training's going OK, but January was terrible - I sneezed and blew my nose more than anything constructive. Back on it now though and my figures don't look like they've suffered too much for the lack of effort - just keeping my fingers crossed for the next 3 months!!!
nick s said:
Would appreciate any tips for first timers
Which tri are you doing? Is it a pool based swim or open water?Fourmotion said:
Just enjoy it, knowing you're only racing yourself to start with.
I'd pretty much go with that ^^^^^ Pacing yourself is definitely all important - go too hard, too soon and you may be in for a longer, tougher day than you were expecting. 
Without doubt, the toughest part of my first tri was the swim. I'm not the worlds quickest swimmer, but I do a lot of surfing, so I am pretty confident in the water. It took about 150 metres for that confidence to get quite literally, battered out of me!
Without any exaggeration there came a point where I genuinely believed that if I didn't do something I was going to drown (and even in 15 - 20ft surf I've never felt like that before). Someone had hooked my goggles and they'd snapped back shut full of brown Thames water. I couldn't see anything, I had a guy leaning on one shoulder, another swimming across my backside, whilst receiving a 2 beat kick to the face from the guy infront. It was horrific! If you see guys getting out of the water with a "thousand yard stare", well, chances are they had a swim just like that.
So yeah, pace yourself, practice swimming open water with a couple of mates (if you can) and put your goggles on underneath your wave cap
nick s said:
I'm doing it at Dorney lake just down the road from me, so it's an open water swim in the lake!
Ah, that's one of the Human Race events - if you've got a couple of mates who also compete, have a look at this race http://humanrace.co.uk/events/triathlon/bananaman - basically 3/4 of an Olympic team time trial that's draft legal - did it with my bruv and a mate and we had a right laugh! It's a cracking race.drgav2005 said:
In her ultimate wisdom, she has signed me up for a supersprint in June and a sprint at the London triathlon in September… together with the Caledonia Etape in the next few months… so I'd better get training!
Good man! I take it you'll be arguing over who's turn it is for the endless pool soon then? 2seas said:
Could anyone give me some advice on how to prepare for puctures during a race? I was planning to carry a couple of inner tubes and a hand pump, but then I wondered if I should take spare tyres as well?
The context is IM distance so an increased chance of punctures.. I looked at the website and it doesn't say anything about there being a support behicle or suchlike so i guess its down to the individuals..
Yup, totally down to you to deal with them I'm afraid fella!The context is IM distance so an increased chance of punctures.. I looked at the website and it doesn't say anything about there being a support behicle or suchlike so i guess its down to the individuals..
No need to carry a spare tyre, but I'm going to carry a couple of spare tubes in Lanz in 2 months time and I may even put another spare in my "special needs" bag that I can pick up halfway around the bike course . . . just in case.
It's one of the things that I've been worrying about as well and for the sake of carrying a few spares, it's worth the hassle . . . even though I've only ever had 1 puncture on the road in the last 4 years, you can bet your arse that if it's gonna happen, it'll happen when you least want it and there's no way I'd want to have my race ended like that. I'd be devastated.
Ayahuasca said:
I have signed up for my first triathlon. It is in less than a month, I have never swum in a race or more than a few lengths, and never biked in a race or more than a couple of km. I am OK with running. I think I may be in for humiliation and suffering, and possibly drowning.
To be fair it is only a short one - 830m open water swim, 26.2km bike and 5k run.
Oh yes, there are sharks in the water - but I am seeing that as positive motivation!
Any training tips?
Couple of things immediately spring to mind:-To be fair it is only a short one - 830m open water swim, 26.2km bike and 5k run.
Oh yes, there are sharks in the water - but I am seeing that as positive motivation!
Any training tips?
1. Find out how big the swim waves are - if they're small, you'll probably be OK. If they're not, give the direct route a wide berth. Far better take a longer route than get caught up in a potential bunfight. Having said that, the sharks will probably want to pick off lone swimmers, so choice is yours really
2. Pace your self on the bike. 26k doesn't sound far, but when you're potentially starting with a stratospheric heart rate and an urge to go for it, it will feel a lot further than it is!! Also it help to know a bit about the bike course before you start (is it flat, hilly, headwinds, etc).
3. You'll have to accept what you're given in the run - it'll depend on how the swim/bike went.
4. Enjoy it!
Aside from that, I think your own synopsis may well be bang on the money if you don't get your arse in gear!!
Have fun though chap and let us know how it went!!
saleen836 said:
It's something I'm definetly going to think about. What sort of times (average) would the bike and run be done in? I like something to aim for! I can easily do the swim in under 30 mins already in a pool and outdoor swimming isn't a problem either.
Course dependent, I guess average times for an Olympic bike and run would be somewhere in the region of 80 mins and 50 mins respectively - with an average swim of about 30 mins and a bit of faffing in transition, that'd bring you home in about 2hr 45mins.If you can get round in anywhere near 2hr 30mins, you've done extremely well, anywhere around 2hr 15mins is pretty exceptional and if you can break the 2hr mark, think about changing your job!!
Ayahuasca said:
Been swimming 1000m a day for the past week or so and not had cramps again. Some really good clips on youtube on front crawl techniques that have helped a lot.
D-Day is sunday and as long as I don't drown, get eaten by sharks or finish in last place I will be happy.
I swear by swim smooth for all my swim related info . . . have a look at http://www.swimsmooth.comD-Day is sunday and as long as I don't drown, get eaten by sharks or finish in last place I will be happy.
Best of luck for the weekend mate, have a great race and don't forget to enjoy it and tell us how it all went!
2seas said:
Need some help please,
Can anyone recommend me a good aero-bar water bottle mount and cage?
Just been looking at the same stuff!Can anyone recommend me a good aero-bar water bottle mount and cage?
One of these is probably going to be my weapon of choice http://www.profile-design.com/profile-design/produ...
Ayahuasca said:
first triathlon DONE!
The swim - it was fairly choppy and as luck would have it the waves were from my breathing side (not mastered bilateral breathig yet). For the first few minutes I thought I would need to be rescued! - started too fast, hyperventilated, swallowed a lot of sea water, etc. Once I relaxed and got into a rhythm (and remembered how to swim) it was surprisingly enjoyable. There was a srong lateral current but I allowed for this and made a straight line to the end. I ended towards the back of the field, but by no means last! Result!
The bike - mostly road, lots of steep ups and downs, managed to overtake a few people. Was on a high from surviving the swim! There was a nasty off-road bit of 6km on a loose dirt / stoney track with massive hills. Everyone pushed the bikes up the worst. Crossed a river. Some came flying down the hills, me I was afraid of cartwheeling and breaking my neck (first time 'mountain-biking') so rode the brakes. Realised it was possible to 'lose the back end' on a pushbike!
The run - one of the hardest 5ks ever, there was no water and the sun was intense - 40 degrees in the shade - but no shade to be had. Plodded rather than ran, but crossed the finish line a very happy bunny.
Would definitely do it again - it was good fun!
Bloody good effort mate!The swim - it was fairly choppy and as luck would have it the waves were from my breathing side (not mastered bilateral breathig yet). For the first few minutes I thought I would need to be rescued! - started too fast, hyperventilated, swallowed a lot of sea water, etc. Once I relaxed and got into a rhythm (and remembered how to swim) it was surprisingly enjoyable. There was a srong lateral current but I allowed for this and made a straight line to the end. I ended towards the back of the field, but by no means last! Result!
The bike - mostly road, lots of steep ups and downs, managed to overtake a few people. Was on a high from surviving the swim! There was a nasty off-road bit of 6km on a loose dirt / stoney track with massive hills. Everyone pushed the bikes up the worst. Crossed a river. Some came flying down the hills, me I was afraid of cartwheeling and breaking my neck (first time 'mountain-biking') so rode the brakes. Realised it was possible to 'lose the back end' on a pushbike!
The run - one of the hardest 5ks ever, there was no water and the sun was intense - 40 degrees in the shade - but no shade to be had. Plodded rather than ran, but crossed the finish line a very happy bunny.
Would definitely do it again - it was good fun!
Tri runs are an absolute killer - as you now know, they have to be experienced to be understood . . . especially the first few minutes!
I'm amazed there weren't any water stations given the heat, but good on ya for getting stuck in seeing it through
Well, what a couple of weeks I've just had!
I've been preparing for my first Ironman race (only ever competed in sprint and Olympic races). Training has been bitter sweet - my 6 months to April went something like:
October: Brill month, mainly base work
November: Brill month, set bike FTP 20% better than September
December: So, so. Work busy. Christmas, etc.
January: As bad as it gets. Bad colds, no training at all.
February: Only marginally better than Jan, managed 10 days training
March: Back to normal - started muscular endurance phase. Plenty of rides 70 - 90k & runs 15 - 25k.
Which brought me to April where I thought I could get out and get in my quota of 150k+ rides and long runs - I wanted to do at least 3 century rides, at least 3 30k runs and at least one metric Ironman. What in fact happened is that our business premises move (that was supposed to happen in February) had to go ahead and it absolutely pissed it down with rain EVERY weekend, which basically meant I got absolutely feck all done (of any real quality).
The weekend before I was due to fly out to Lanzarote was the Bank Holiday weekend and I thought this is my last chance. I MUST get at least 2 back to back 4hr+ rides and a 30k+ run done, if for no other reason than to calm me psychologically.
Climbed onto the bike on Saturday and off I went. Had to stop 1hr later with a broken chain in the middle of nowhere and phone for help! Got it fixed and on Sunday morning tried again. Got 60k's from home and discovered that my rucksak (which should have had most of my food/drinks in) was nearly empty - I'd left most of it at home. I ended up completing a 160k ride, with 2900m of climbing, on 2 gels, 1 cereal bar and 750ml of carb drink. Fell in through the door stupidly (dangerously, really) hypo. Managed to get a good 35k run in 24 hours later though!
So that was that. Taper started.
And now I've just flown back in from Ironman Lanzarote.
I raced easy, wasted no energy in swim punch-ups, rode the bike VERY conservatively and still needed the most INSANE amount of desire not to start walking during the marathon. I ran (albeit very slowly!) every inch of it.
Not for anything is this race billed as the worlds toughest IM and now I can genuinely see why. With no exaggeration whatsoever, it was the most amazing, atmospheric, humbling, brutal event I've ever competed in. It's redefined my interpretation of the word "respect".
And despite my huge fears pre-race as to whether I'd actually done enough training, I finished in just over 13hrs - far, far slower than I'd hoped, but do y'know what? It didn't (and still doesn't) bother me in the slightest.
I loved every single second and felt genuinely privileged to be a part of it. It's an utterly epic event, the Lanzarote population treat you like royalty when they discover you're a finisher and I actually had people asking to shake my hand when they found that out!
To top that all off I can now officially call myself an Ironman. Unfortunately I may now be addicted to long course!
I've been preparing for my first Ironman race (only ever competed in sprint and Olympic races). Training has been bitter sweet - my 6 months to April went something like:
October: Brill month, mainly base work
November: Brill month, set bike FTP 20% better than September
December: So, so. Work busy. Christmas, etc.
January: As bad as it gets. Bad colds, no training at all.
February: Only marginally better than Jan, managed 10 days training
March: Back to normal - started muscular endurance phase. Plenty of rides 70 - 90k & runs 15 - 25k.
Which brought me to April where I thought I could get out and get in my quota of 150k+ rides and long runs - I wanted to do at least 3 century rides, at least 3 30k runs and at least one metric Ironman. What in fact happened is that our business premises move (that was supposed to happen in February) had to go ahead and it absolutely pissed it down with rain EVERY weekend, which basically meant I got absolutely feck all done (of any real quality).
The weekend before I was due to fly out to Lanzarote was the Bank Holiday weekend and I thought this is my last chance. I MUST get at least 2 back to back 4hr+ rides and a 30k+ run done, if for no other reason than to calm me psychologically.
Climbed onto the bike on Saturday and off I went. Had to stop 1hr later with a broken chain in the middle of nowhere and phone for help! Got it fixed and on Sunday morning tried again. Got 60k's from home and discovered that my rucksak (which should have had most of my food/drinks in) was nearly empty - I'd left most of it at home. I ended up completing a 160k ride, with 2900m of climbing, on 2 gels, 1 cereal bar and 750ml of carb drink. Fell in through the door stupidly (dangerously, really) hypo. Managed to get a good 35k run in 24 hours later though!
So that was that. Taper started.
And now I've just flown back in from Ironman Lanzarote.
I raced easy, wasted no energy in swim punch-ups, rode the bike VERY conservatively and still needed the most INSANE amount of desire not to start walking during the marathon. I ran (albeit very slowly!) every inch of it.
Not for anything is this race billed as the worlds toughest IM and now I can genuinely see why. With no exaggeration whatsoever, it was the most amazing, atmospheric, humbling, brutal event I've ever competed in. It's redefined my interpretation of the word "respect".
And despite my huge fears pre-race as to whether I'd actually done enough training, I finished in just over 13hrs - far, far slower than I'd hoped, but do y'know what? It didn't (and still doesn't) bother me in the slightest.
I loved every single second and felt genuinely privileged to be a part of it. It's an utterly epic event, the Lanzarote population treat you like royalty when they discover you're a finisher and I actually had people asking to shake my hand when they found that out!
To top that all off I can now officially call myself an Ironman.
Unfortunately I may now be addicted to long course!Highway Star said:
How did you find the climb up the Mirador? I'm not a cyclist, but tried it last year and it nearly killed me! How was the wind out on the bike?
The climb up to from Famara to Mirador del Haria is just relentless - a continuous climb for what? 24 kilometres? And then just when you think it's all OK, the climb up to Mirador del Rio starts (16 kilometres ish?) with gradients going to something like 15 - 18%. No question, they're tough. You just gotta sit in and grind it out. Thing is though, you're mentally prepared for those two - I spent 6 months fretting about them and trained accordingly!!What you're not really prepared for so much, is the lonnnggggg inclines along the dead straight roads that stretch to the horizon and you always seem to have a 20mph headwind - they're mentally draining and demoralising. There's a particularly nasty one at the 140k mark - you've still got the Mirador climbs in your legs and then all of a sudden this road just stretches away as far as you can see. All uphill. And the wind's STILL in your face. No let up and no chance to rest. You have to fight for every km/h for what seems an eternity. There's several of them around the course, but I remember that one as I thought "Oh, that's really unnecessary right now!!" when I saw it. At the time I just thought making us go up it was downright cruel and spiteful - perhaps I was a bit hypo!
Yup, if you were to devise a bike course to psychologically mess with you in the greatest way, well Lanzarote would be a great contender - I've yet to ride another like it.
Iceman82 said:
IM tattoo
That one's probably coming once my sunburn's gone!! Felt like I properly earned it! Iceman82 said:
If anyone knows of any online, free, but decent plans I would appreciate it.
If you can PM me and let me know how many hours a week you've got to play with, I'll put a decent programme together for you fella . . . nick s said:
Was it as gruelling as we imagine it would be?
Oh my God, yes! I can't over emphasise just HOW tough it was. If ever you get an entry in for one DO NOT under ANY circumstance underestimate what you've got yourself involved in. As a very good (sub 10) athlete told me a couple of days before the race "If you've reasonable amount of training under your belt, you can blag most triathlons, even 70.3's. You won't blag this one."And that isn't overly melodramatic - under prepare for an IM like Lanzarote and you'll fall apart like a cheap watch - mentally, physically, or both - the wheels will come flying off. Very quickly and in spectacular fashion.
Not wishing to blow smoke up my backside, but forget finishing - just getting yourself on the startline in a competitive condition is an achievement. Genuinely.
It's a brutal, unforgiving event even if you're prepared for it, but at the same time hugely rewarding and dare I say it, very emotional. I can't even begin to tell you how it felt to cross that finish line, especially as I never took it for granted that I would. Not for a second - that luxury of thought is knocked out of you VERY quickly!
Amazing, unforgettable experience. I'll be back for more
drgav2005 said:
Well, not quite up to the achievements of others posting on this topic but I completed my first tri today - The Stirling Novice Triathlon. Top fun!
Swim (including run round building) 9:40 for 400m - first time swimming in a full tri-suit and using a heart monitor… did not go well, despite almost having a panic attack and then giving the other swimmers a length head start I ended up getting out of my lane first… plenty of room for improvement next time around.
T1 01:54 - will remember to take cleat covers off shoes before next race and adjust helmet straps!
Cycle 32:19 for 14km
T2: 00:51
Run 12:19 for 2.5km - decided walking up the hill of death was probably the best idea…
Ended up in 57:04 and came 13th out of 105 in my category.
Next tri is the sprint distance at London in September… so I'd better get used to open water swimming pretty quick!
Well done chap . . . don't feel like it's any less of an achievement than any longer distance though, because it most certainly isn't! There's no such thing as an easy triathlon - they're all tough and chalking up your first finish is a great testament to your spirit. I have great respect for everyone who get involved in this sport - many think about it, few have the guts, commitment or tenacity to see it through to competing.Swim (including run round building) 9:40 for 400m - first time swimming in a full tri-suit and using a heart monitor… did not go well, despite almost having a panic attack and then giving the other swimmers a length head start I ended up getting out of my lane first… plenty of room for improvement next time around.
T1 01:54 - will remember to take cleat covers off shoes before next race and adjust helmet straps!
Cycle 32:19 for 14km
T2: 00:51
Run 12:19 for 2.5km - decided walking up the hill of death was probably the best idea…
Ended up in 57:04 and came 13th out of 105 in my category.
Next tri is the sprint distance at London in September… so I'd better get used to open water swimming pretty quick!
And that's one of the things that I take terrific pride in when I'm at a race - I look around in transition and think to myself that everyone else around me, fast, slow or middle of the pack, for want of a better analysis, gives a s
t. They're all made of the "right stuff" (in my opinion).So take one of these matey
earned 
One thing I've always wondered though, in those pool based tri's, how the f
k do you know when to get out??!!! I always lose count of how many lengths I've done after about 50m!!Have you got any open water swimming planned over the summer, btw?
drgav2005 said:
Many thanks for the kind words!
Must admit I'm still buzzing and can't wait to do the next one. There seemed to be great camaraderie at the event and people were genuinely cheering each other on which was great to see.
We got cuffed on the head with a polystyrene float to let us know we only had 2 lengths to go - anything heavier and I wouldn't have made it out of the pool
Hoping to get out into the open water, possibly at Loch Lomond, in the next few weeks… I'll need to get comfortable with this prior to the London Triathlon in September
No worries - they're totally deserved Must admit I'm still buzzing and can't wait to do the next one. There seemed to be great camaraderie at the event and people were genuinely cheering each other on which was great to see.
We got cuffed on the head with a polystyrene float to let us know we only had 2 lengths to go - anything heavier and I wouldn't have made it out of the pool
Hoping to get out into the open water, possibly at Loch Lomond, in the next few weeks… I'll need to get comfortable with this prior to the London Triathlon in September
Yeah, the London tri will be quite a "busy" swim (in water that you can't see any more than a foot or two through!), so any open water practice you can get in before then will definitely pay you back!
Oh, and as well as ticking off my first Ironman race, I can now officially tick off another first . . .
To cut a long story short, I felt very ropey a couple of days after flying back (lethargic, no appetite, nauseous, light headed, shallow breathing, increased resp rate, deep breaths made me cough) - to be honest, pretty much how I felt after the race!
After sleeping for 16 hours one day (after 13 hours the previous night), my girlfriend made me go to the hospital . . . had a chest x-ray and the consultant (who, to be fair, I'd probably underplayed my symptoms to and he did seem stupidly busy with other people), basically said you're OK, but seems like you may have an infection - take these for 7 days (antibiotics).
Couple of days later, my doc (whose name I know, but never had cause to meet) phoned me in a disturbingly anxious way, with a whole bunch of questions about my symptoms/how was my breathing/was I taking the antibiotics, etc, and said he wasn't surprised I'd been feeling like crap as he'd just had the hospital in touch to say I'd got pneumonia!!!
No wonder I managed to lose half a stone from my pre-race weight . . . and that's coming from someone who doesn't really have half a stone to lose!!!
gingerpaul said:
Anyone doing Windsor this weekend? We got told yesterday that it's now a duathlon as the Thames is too dangerous to swim in. The event is now a 1k run, 30/42k cycle and 5/10k run. I can see the transition between the first run and the cycle being interesting... 
I'm not doing it this year, but have done several times . . . tbh, I'm surprised that it's the first time that this has happened, because the current can be pretty strong (after you round the r/h bend) even in normal conditions, let alone with a binload of extra water pushing down.I think they've done the right thing though - they've got to think of the whole field in terms of the current and I should imagine the run-off from the farmland would make that pretty disgusting (if not medically unsafe) to swim in.
What I am surprised at though, is just a 1k run to replace the swim? Seems barely enough to warm up - in the events I've competed where they've cancelled the swim, it's normally been about 4 - 5k (for the Oly distance).
drgav2005 said:
Crikey chief!!! Had you been like that in the run up to the race or did this happen after the event? Well done to you girlfriend making you go into hospital, all too often us blokes tend to downplay symptoms and don't get checked out properly. Take it easy and wishing you a full and speedy recovery! Plenty of pies and Guinness required to get you back up to racing weight!!! All a bit odd - perhaps I did carry something into the race, but I certainly didn't feel properly ill until 6 days after it. Glad my girlfriend did make me go and get checked though, that's for sure!!
Anyway, all fixed now mate! Back on it this week
it'll be interesting to see how it feels after a month off!!!mat205125 in another thread said:
Afternoon all,
Firstly, the search function is busted, so I've started a new thread about a topic that probably already has a bazillion running ... Apologies!
Secondly, to clarify the thread heading, I'm going to be doing a sprint distance event in September, comprising 400m swim, 20km cycle, and 5km run. I'm sure for many this is a laughable training distance, but for me this is a bit of a challenge, and hopefully my entry into a new an interesting sport.
My main questions are regarding clothing for the event. I've got wardrobes full of suitable clothing for each phase in isolation, however don't think the idea of a Triathlon is to have a change of cloths for each transition, and therefore I'd like some advice on the types of clothing people use ... in particular with regards to shorts. Is there something I can use that I can swim in, and just get straight onto my bike, and then continue to run in? I don't want to spend hundreds either!!!
I've done 100+ mile bike rides, 2 miles swims, and a little running (by far my weakest activity), however never anything on the same day, and definitely not straight from one to the next.
For my current level of fitness, and the length of the event, I don't think I need mountains of training, however I'm interested to hear from people's own experiences regarding what I should do in preparation ... I'm planning to have a few bike rides, dumping the bike at home, yelling "hello / goodbye" to the family, and going straight out the door again.
Basically, I guess, I'm looking for a few pointers regarding kit, some advice on what's worth doing in preparation, what happens on the day (do I just leave my bike and clothing lying on the ground, and head for the pool?), and what I can do to prepare me for the event to make it as enjoyable as possible, and possibly avoid snears and laughter from fellow competitors - like I said, I'm not there to win, however I'd also rather not be crossing the line after everyone else has gone home too
Please be gentle !!!
If you've got that level of fitness/experiance, you shouldn't struggle too much at a sprint distance - beware though, as it is a sprint distance so you can race it anaerobic and if you do it'll be an hour and a bit of pain!Firstly, the search function is busted, so I've started a new thread about a topic that probably already has a bazillion running ... Apologies!
Secondly, to clarify the thread heading, I'm going to be doing a sprint distance event in September, comprising 400m swim, 20km cycle, and 5km run. I'm sure for many this is a laughable training distance, but for me this is a bit of a challenge, and hopefully my entry into a new an interesting sport.
My main questions are regarding clothing for the event. I've got wardrobes full of suitable clothing for each phase in isolation, however don't think the idea of a Triathlon is to have a change of cloths for each transition, and therefore I'd like some advice on the types of clothing people use ... in particular with regards to shorts. Is there something I can use that I can swim in, and just get straight onto my bike, and then continue to run in? I don't want to spend hundreds either!!!
I've done 100+ mile bike rides, 2 miles swims, and a little running (by far my weakest activity), however never anything on the same day, and definitely not straight from one to the next.
For my current level of fitness, and the length of the event, I don't think I need mountains of training, however I'm interested to hear from people's own experiences regarding what I should do in preparation ... I'm planning to have a few bike rides, dumping the bike at home, yelling "hello / goodbye" to the family, and going straight out the door again.
Basically, I guess, I'm looking for a few pointers regarding kit, some advice on what's worth doing in preparation, what happens on the day (do I just leave my bike and clothing lying on the ground, and head for the pool?), and what I can do to prepare me for the event to make it as enjoyable as possible, and possibly avoid snears and laughter from fellow competitors - like I said, I'm not there to win, however I'd also rather not be crossing the line after everyone else has gone home too
Please be gentle !!!
All I'll say in terms of preparation is try a few "bricks" (dual discipline training sessions) pre-race, specifically bike/run, just to get used to the sensation of trying to run on wobbly legs. It is an odd feeling and all the worse if you've had a proper go on the bike!!
If it's an open water swim, try and experience a few open water sessions beforehand as well - it's nowhere near the same as following a lovely clear line at the bottom of the pool and tumbling at the "T", especially with a few hundred others trying to share the same space as you! If you have open water experience though, you'll know what I mean.
Clothing wise, you can't really go wrong with getting yourself a one piece tri-suit - wear it under your wetsuit (not a surf one, btw!), get into T1, off with the wetsuit, jump on the bike and in T2 you'll just have to swap your bike shoes for runners and of you go. Far, far easier than messing around with multiple pieces of discipline specific clothing and probably cheaper in the long run too.
A cheap tri suit'll set you back about 50 quid or so (like everything though you can pay over 4 times that if you so wish!!) and basically that'll be all you need clothing wise really . . . checklist would be:-
SWIM Wetsuit, tri-suit, goggles (put 'em on under your wave cap, not on top)
BIKE Bike shoes, sunnies/ bike shades, bike (obviously!)
RUN Runners
No kecks under your tri-suit, btw!
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