'First Time Triathlete' - The Novice Thread

stryker171

Hey all. There is a new Tri club being started in Midleton. There are a lot of newbies all in the same boat. If you live in the area you should look them up in An Rother.

fungirl1

Am toying with the idea of trying a tri. Think sprint distance will do fine for a first one! Is there a website where I can find a list of upcoming tris?

Thanks!

nomadic

fungirl1 wrote: »

Am toying with the idea of trying a tri. Think sprint distance will do fine for a first one! Is there a website where I can find a list of upcoming tris?

Thanks!

http://www.irishtriathlon.com/index.php/race-calendar/

I think that covers the lot.

BTH

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Splashed out on my first wetsuit today with my eye on my tri debut in 3 weeks time. Heard that these things are fairly delicate. Anything I should be getting to help keep it in order? Looking at that black witch stuff on wiggle, recommended? And also, any thing to help get the damn thing on and off?

Nothing on wetsuit care then? May have been covered already but it's 60 pages!!!

MrCreosote

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Nothing on wetsuit care then? May have been covered already but it's 60 pages!!!

Getting it on- a bit of lube at the wrists and ankles, put your foot or hand in a plastic bag and it's much easier. Taking off- practice! The lube at the ankles helps I find.

As for care, all I do is a freshwater rinse after each use, drip dry out of direct sunlight. Don't use vaseline because it does affect the neoprene, babyoil or something like bodyglide is better.

onimpulse

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Nothing on wetsuit care then? May have been covered already but it's 60 pages!!!

Try bodyglide for getting the wetsuit off more easily(you'll get it in any of the bigger bike/tri shops - or just baby oil, although apparently it damages the wetsuit - I haven't noticed though.

Repairs - not sure - never really needed it to be honest?

gerire

Ok looking for the swimming advice please;

Due to where i work (and a big mouth), and for the charity, i have agreed to do the focus ireland tri in Dun Laoghaire on August 1st. Im still trying to get the course details for this b ut with my running background and general fitness neither the bike or run sessions bother me and Im starting brick work now. That was an interestingg 1st time experience.
It is the swim that bothers me most; I could take the easy way out and take the 350 meter option that they are allowing; So Im assuming its across the harbour and back or just straight across and into transition; What should I be working on, I've 10 weeks so plenty of time, my main problem is in the pool im billixed after 5 lengths but its probably because i go too hard and have bugger all technique.
Would a lesson be the best starting point or just keeping trying to build up lengths but slowing down pace;

Ask me to run, no bother, swim i just struggle

connundrum

gerire wrote: »

Ok looking for the swimming advice please;

Due to where i work (and a big mouth), and for the charity, i have agreed to do the focus ireland tri in Dun Laoghaire on August 1st. Im still trying to get the course details for this b ut with my running background and general fitness neither the bike or run sessions bother me and Im starting brick work now. That was an interestingg 1st time experience.
It is the swim that bothers me most; I could take the easy way out and take the 350 meter option that they are allowing; So Im assuming its across the harbour and back or just straight across and into transition; What should I be working on, I've 10 weeks so plenty of time, my main problem is in the pool im billixed after 5 lengths but its probably because i go too hard and have bugger all technique.
Would a lesson be the best starting point or just keeping trying to build up lengths but slowing down pace;

Ask me to run, no bother, swim i just struggle

I am building up my experience with running and cycling, and with both I'm seeing the same thing as what I experienced with swimming - put in the yardage and you'll see gains!

I've been swimming for years now and the best thing I did was take lessons when I was 14/15. You could keep going as you are and just try build by 50m every week or something, but your stroke or form might actually have you expending 1.5 or 2 times as much energy as is required.

Best advice I could give (if you want to take it seriously) is to take lessons. If you want to go cheapo, youtube will guide you and you can try mimmick what you see - but the best thing is to have someone look at your stroke and critique it, whilst providing advice.

DustyBin

gerire, lessons are probably best, but sometimes it doesn't suit people for whatever reason.
If you want to just improve your endurance on your own maybe have a look at the the Zero to 1650 in 6 weeks program.
I was talking to a guy yesterday who used it before and found it very good, I'm trying to follow it myself at the minute.
There are lots of drills and some other programmes on that website as well if you want to have a look around.

Karlrove

Hi guys,read through a few posts,thinking of doing try athy in 3 weeks. At the moment I can run 10k...swim 400m and cycle 15 k...separately. Is try athy going to be very tough? Also,I dont really have the gear to do it...have bike, runners etc...what bout swimming suit? Also, do you wear shorts under swim gear,should bike be locked and should your bag be there....im reallly sorry,just dont know how it all works. Thanks for any help! Karl;

EC1000

Karlrove wrote: »

Also, do you wear shorts under swim gear,should bike be locked and should your bag be there....

No, bike should not be locked! Its hard enough to keep things moving fast without having to unlock your bike.... generally the "transition" area - i.e. the place where you get your bike and then return your bike to - will be well marshalled and access will only be available to athletes and your stuff should be safe.

toomuchdetail

Hi guys,read through a few posts,thinking of doing try athy in 3 weeks. At the moment I can run 10k...swim 400m and cycle 15 k...separately. Is try athy going to be very tough? Also,I dont really have the gear to do it...have bike, runners etc...what bout swimming suit? Also, do you wear shorts under swim gear,should bike be locked and should your bag be there....im reallly sorry,just dont know how it all works. Thanks for any help! Karl;

Doing TryAthy Olympic myself as my first olympci and have never done Athy before but will try and answer some of your question based on feedback with my own questions on Athy from some friends.
Is try athy going to be very tough? Proabably tough mentally as its your first tri but as they go it has a great reputation as been fast, most of the swim is downstream,first 200m will be mentally tough but keep to the back and dont get caught up in the melee , not sure of your swim speed but I am not a strong swimmer and tend to mentally say to myself "just 15mins" and its done . Practice the bricks (bike to run)from the bike , try and get 10k on the bike and 1k straight off it- gradually build this a little , this will also help in preperation.
Swim suit - wetsuit is probably compulsary kit (check the site),these can be hired (they also give great bouyancy for the swim)
You will wear your kit (shorts at least under this).Could also wear your T-shirt (Tech shirt, not cotton)
Bike will be in transition , wont be locked as its secure, you generally will have a race bag/gear bag with with you for race day requirements .
Dont splash out on any gear , just get good goggles for the swim., also 2 swim hats .(put one on, put goggles on, then put on the last hat- if you lose your 1st hat while swimming you wont lose the goggles!!)

I would say go for it , did my first last year the wrong side of 40 and should have done it years ago.There is room for every level on the scene.

Hope this helps.

The site below has some usefull info that might help .
http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_getstart.asp

Karlrove

thanks for all that info! great stuff. Couple of other questions...where do you leave your gear with runners etc,do you leave it at bike station;get changed for bike/run and leave the bag to come back for after? helmet needed for bike stage? Is there any places I can get a good wet suit at a good price? What sort of drinks/food should I bring and should i eat during race...again thanks for any advice,complete novice so excuse the 'stupid' questions. Karl

toomuchdetail

Karlrove wrote: »

thanks for all that info! great stuff. Couple of other questions...where do you leave your gear with runners etc,do you leave it at bike station;get changed for bike/run and leave the bag to come back for after? helmet needed for bike stage? Is there any places I can get a good wet suit at a good price? What sort of drinks/food should I bring and should i eat during race...again thanks for any advice,complete novice so excuse the 'stupid' questions. Karl

Some half answers I hope!
where do you leave your gear with runners etc,do you leave it at bike station- yes , but only the race gear , you will probably change into your wetsuit etc at your car or where ever is handy , you will keep your race required gear with your bike(helmet,runners etc .
Is there any places I can get a good wet suit at a good price? Where are you based ? would hold off on purchasing until your sure you will get the use of it , you can buy a surf type suit for as little as €50 , tri wet suits are specifically designed for swimming and have extra bounancy.Would look at renting. some good places out there .
What sort of drinks/food should I bring and should i eat during race :From experience your drink on the bike would be close to enough,take on fluids in the hour before you start, not too much as you will leave your stomach contents in the river (been there), a carb based drink in transition would see you thru but a carb gel before the start and maybe before the run might help , dont leave it until race day to try these as they may not agree with you, fit them in during training.
No stupid questions on here , its worse been mid race/run and thinking I should have asked that

juan 79

Hi all,how's it going?New to the thread and triathlon,just wondering as a novice to it,I'm looking for advice on buying an entry level bike,AFAIK there are triathlon specific racers,is triathlon confined to these bikes or what? does anything go? Price wise as well whatt is recomended for an entry level bike? I'm not looking at competing initially,but to do so are you talking about 1000 euro plus for say a specialized or canondale or whatever?
Any advice appreciated.:)

nomadic

juan 79 wrote: »

Hi all,how's it going?New to the thread and triathlon,just wondering as a novice to it,I'm looking for advice on buying an entry level bike,AFAIK there are triathlon specific racers,is triathlon confined to these bikes or what? does anything go? Price wise as well whatt is recomended for an entry level bike? I'm not looking at competing initially,but to do so are you talking about 1000 euro plus for say a specialized or canondale or whatever?
Any advice appreciated.:)

You can cycle whatever you want nearly.An MTB with slicks is grand for starting, Most people would be on road bikes(€500+) with tri bars added on, and then you've got your tri or tt bikes(€1000+).

You're probably better off getting something like a giant defy http://cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=35&idproduct=31155 or the like. Perfect for starting on.

connundrum

Delighted with training thus far.

Decided to give it all a go over the full day yesterday to see if I could complete the Sprint distance and how I'd feel the day after.

7am - completed 1.15km swim. Mostly at 60% pace, 10-12 sprint laps thrown in with a couple of drills. Completed in 22 mins

6.30pm - completed 4km run. At 50/60% pace, completed in 21 mins.

7pm - completed 21km cycle. At 60% pace, completed in 50 mins.

8.05pm - completed 4km run. At 70% pace, completed in 19.5 mins.

The second run wasn't actually planned, I'd to rush back to let the missus into the house - hence the increased pace

Today feel ok for it, delighted that I got the mileage out and in (what I would consider) a decent training pace too.

Am going into Cycleways next Thursday to get the bike properly tri-fitted - can't wait!

This weekend will see a long cycle journey hopefully.

Edit - I know the above probably looks like an entry for a training log, but its not. I keep my own training log elsewhere. I posted it as a beginner to show where I'm at in preparation for my first Tri in August. Cheers!

shg101

connundrum wrote: »

Delighted with training thus far.

Decided to give it all a go over the full day yesterday to see if I could complete the Sprint distance and how I'd feel the day after.

7am - completed 1.15km swim. Mostly at 60% pace, 10-12 sprint laps thrown in with a couple of drills. Completed in 22 mins

6.30pm - completed 4km run. At 50/60% pace, completed in 21 mins.

7pm - completed 21km cycle. At 60% pace, completed in 50 mins.

8.05pm - completed 4km run. At 70% pace, completed in 19.5 mins.

The second run wasn't actually planned, I'd to rush back to let the missus into the house - hence the increased pace

Today feel ok for it, delighted that I got the mileage out and in (what I would consider) a decent training pace too.

Am going into Cycleways next Thursday to get the bike properly tri-fitted - can't wait!

This weekend will see a long cycle journey hopefully.

Edit - I know the above probably looks like an entry for a training log, but its not. I keep my own training log elsewhere. I posted it as a beginner to show where I'm at in preparation for my first Tri in August. Cheers!

You did 1150m at 60% pace, plus drills, plus sprints, all in 22 mins???

The 'Expert Triathlete' thread is over there

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>

Anyway, at those times I'd guess you'll be hitting well into the top half of the field come August.

However, yesterday's training (spread over the day as it was, and at a low pace) doesn't give you a great feel for the actual event, even if the volume of training is the same.

For my first sprint, the couple of weekends before I had done consecutive swims, cycles and runs of roughly the appropriate distances, and that did not prepare me for the day.

The pace you will set on the day will be quicker and the event will be tougher. The only thing that prepares you for the first sprint, is your first sprint unfortunately.

Not sure of the benefit of training at 50-60% pace for a sprint.

If indeed you were: 21km at 30km/h = 42min, and you completed it in 20% more time (50 min). Are you sure you were cycling at 60%?

Still, looks like you are well set up...

connundrum

shg101 wrote: »

You did 1150m at 60% pace, plus drills, plus sprints, all in 22 mins???

The 'Expert Triathlete' thread is over there

---

>

Anyway, at those times I'd guess you'll be hitting well into the top half of the field come August.

However, yesterday's training (spread over the day as it was, and at a low pace) doesn't give you a great feel for the actual event, even if the volume of training is the same.

For my first sprint, the couple of weekends before I had done consecutive swims, cycles and runs of roughly the appropriate distances, and that did not prepare me for the day.

The pace you will set on the day will be quicker and the event will be tougher. The only thing that prepares you for the first sprint, is your first sprint unfortunately.

Not sure of the benefit of training at 50-60% pace for a sprint.

If indeed you were: 21km at 30km/h = 42min, and you completed it in 20% more time (50 min). Are you sure you were cycling at 60%?

Still, looks like you are well set up...

For the swimming - I used to compete for years so luckily it is/has never been an issue to knock out lengths at a decent pace.

With regards to what I would consider my % pace - I could be waaay off, because as you've noted, I haven't completed a proper sprint race. I'm saying that as I'm going I feel like I'm doing it at 60%/70% of what I think is 'race pace'.

I was happy to get the distances covered yesterday - mainly to see how I'd feel purely from an endurance point of view. Like you, over the next 6-7 weekends I'll be knocking out mock races to see how I fare.

How much of an increase in pace did you see during the race as compared to what you thought was 'race pace' prior to the event?

shg101

connundrum wrote: »

For the swimming - I used to compete for years so luckily it is/has never been an issue to knock out lengths at a decent pace.

With regards to what I would consider my % pace - I could be waaay off, because as you've noted, I haven't completed a proper sprint race. I'm saying that as I'm going I feel like I'm doing it at 60%/70% of what I think is 'race pace'.

I was happy to get the distances covered yesterday - mainly to see how I'd feel purely from an endurance point of view. Like you, over the next 6-7 weekends I'll be knocking out mock races to see how I fare.

How much of an increase in pace did you see during the race as compared to what you thought was 'race pace' prior to the event?

(Firstly, there's people with far far more experience, so I'm giving you the perspective of someone who only did their first tri a year ago.)

I think what happens is your weakest area is what you will struggle at, and that will have knock on effects on subsequent legs. Also, you will go quicker than you have been in training, due to the competitive element of people around you. So you push yourself harder, and the 5% extra pace takes >>5% extra effort.

For me, I'm towards the top of the bottom half in swimming, about the 65-75th percentile in biking, and 70-80th percentile in running for the sprints I've done. A bad energy sapping swim tends to slow me down in T1 and on the bike.

I just read back on your previous posts. I think you are doing the right thing looking at times and trying to hit a time, even for your first one, as that let's you judge the intensity of your training if nothing else.

Next time try a brick session - 20km cycle to be completed in <45 mins immediately followed by a 5k run to be completed in <25 mins. That's a good pace to place well into the top half, especially with your swim. If you can do that, you're ready for your first sprint right now. Why wait?

Karlrove

howya guys,training on and off for last few months. Thinking of giving poortumna this weekend a go...i havent done tri before...can run 10k in 50 mins ,cycle is fine,20km. swimm is going okay can do the 500m in pool without stopping....is it worth it to train hard this week and try it on sunday...havent got wetsuit yet....what do you think>?

Stark

You won't see the benefits of training within a week. If you train hard this week, you'll just knacker yourself out for Sunday. Probably best to give this one a miss until you've gotten your wetsuit and had a practice swim in open water first.

shotgunmcos

+1 on Stark's advice. If you feel you can get through the distance then thats great. No point in cramming in extra session as this as Stark mentioned will just exhaust you for the race. If you can get your hands on a wetsuit this week and get a dip in the OW to see how it feels that would but the determining factor. No harm in giving it a bash, my first OW dip was Valentia Island last year in the freezing cold. I promise you this though, you will learn stacks either way Best of luck and let us know how it goes if you take the plunge.

BTW you will not be allowed to swim without a wetsuit.

connundrum

As a matter of interest, what is the ruling on wetsuits/swimwear when completing the swimming leg in a pool, be it indoor or outdoor?

I'll be doing the Bunclody Tri in Aug and it will be a pool swim.

I've no probs wearing a wetsuit as I train with and without one, just a question

Stark

No wetsuits when the swim leg is in a pool.

connundrum

Hadn't actually thought about a no-wetsuit race as it turns out.

What do you wear instead? A tri suit?

Or a pair of speedos which you'd slip your cycle shorts over in T1?

Confused as to what to do as had prepared for just peeling the wetsuit off to reveal a trisuit/pair of cycle shorts.

Stark

You can wear a tri suit in the pool if you have one.

k_d

entered my 1st tri ..sprint


now for times i think....have 5 weeks to work on better

Havnt swam in years..hope to get my swim in under 15 minutes. i am fairly fit

can do the 20k bike in 36m at the moment. might be able to bring it down with a set of aero bars

and the run in 20m

so im goin to give myself a safe bet of 1.20 to beet with all on the same day.

starting brick sessions this afternoon and swimming tomorrow!

littleredspot

That'd be some going for your first tri! Where did you enter?

MarieC

can the wetsuit be a shorty/sleeveless one or does it have to be the full length all over??