'First Time Triathlete' - The Novice Thread

tunney

nerraw1111 wrote: »

I had the same experience at the weekend in a bike shop. "well you could go for this, but cheap cheap cheap etc."

My theory is pick out a bike you really like, then ask about the bike that's a step down from it. Salesperson will then write off the bike you picked but will then speak enthuastically about the bike you want.

Salespersons will usually try to talk you up a level on any bike as they know it's like being trapped in a sweet store.

I was in at the weekend looking to buy a decent mountain bike under bike to work scheme. €800 was the maximum I was prepared to pay. Ten minutes later, I walking out planning to spend €1600!

To be honest with bikes you get what you pay for, especially going from 700-800 upto about 2k. Diminishing returns after that.

nerraw1111

Absolutely agreed.

But it's just for going to and from work and a few cross country trails. Thinking of Specilized Rockhopper €800 versus €1600 stumpjumper

bananamansgay

MCOS wrote: »

Welcome flynne8, richiemack and bananamansgay (is he?!)

What are your Triathlon aspirations for this year?

hey MCOS , i did my first sprint last year (kinsale) but still consider myself a newbie! il be doing sprints in skerries and kinsale again, and maybe the dublin sprint down by grand canal dock (although i havnt heard too many good things about that particular event).

training has been sporadic latley. im doing exams this monday and have had to study alot over the last number of weeks but once they are done il be pretty much doing nothing else but train. iv kept in reasonably good shape though since last years tri though. i guess thats a side effect of doing triathlons, you learn to enjoy training so much that you can keep it up even when there isnt a tri on the horizon.

just in response to another post i saw about bike shops, i had the very same problem. i cactually bought a second hand bike last year and bought new wheels and loads of other stuff for it, so its a nice machine right now. i would recommend cyclesuperstore in tallaght though. they were very helpful i found and i bought a wet suit and some other kit there, got a nice discount too.

if any one wants to know anything specific from me im all ears, i know how daunting it is to be starting off and i know the kind of questions you will have and while im no expert i do feel like i know 100 times more about training/gear ect at this stage than when i did last year.

hope everyones training is going well.


ps - he so is

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=56146949&highlight=bananamansgay#post56146949

MCOS

tagoona wrote: »

BTW MCOS,
how's the training coming.
I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it.
Theres a big difference between training and race day.

College work has been getting priority lately so not great. Back into a rhythm this week. First Tri is on Saturday morning so I'm really looking forward to it!

nerraw1111

Best of luck MCOS, you'd fly it if the race was based on enthusaism alone!

Canis Lupus

My training and diet have been horrible this year I'll be praying to the flying spaghetti monster to let me get under 1hr 30.

shopaholic

Hi!
Am doing Nenagh on Saturday and packing tonight as i'm heading down tomorrow...what am I missing?
Swimming:
-shorts
-crop top
-goggles
-hat
Transition:
-plastic box
-towel
-tshirt/singlet
-helmet
-socks (as yet undecided if i'll wear them)
-runners
-bike (duh!)
-water bottle
-talc for runners
-vaseline
-glasses incase contacts act up.

Anyone notice anything I'm missing? I don't have a number belt so am hoping that the lovely people in nenagh either supply two numbers or don't mind me just wearing one on the front!

Am getting nervous now...went over on my ankle a few weeks ago so unfortunately my training has been pretty dismal!

the_badger

Hi,

Am i too late to be in a position to do a sprint triathlon this year?? Its been my goal since the start of the year to do one - however last few months have got away from me as i was out of the country a lot with work. Am based in Ireland now, thank god, for the rest of the summer.

Here is where I am with regards to fitness:
- Running: recently completed Bupa 10 k in 49 minutes. Run 2/3 times a week for last 6 weeks.

- Swimming: not good. Reckon with 4 weeks training could probably be able to do 40 lengths of a 20 m pool using breaststroke, badly. Not even sure i could do that.

- Bike: not good. I have cycled 20k before off the cuff but the cramps were brutal! No way I could have ran 5 metres after it!

I had intended on joining a club from a motivation point of view but dont want to be a liability / embarrassment either! This thread has really highlighted to me how far behind I am when it comes to training! To be honest its freaked me out when everyone else seems to be encouraged by it!!!!

Thanks,
Badger

tagoona

Hey Badger.
In reverse order
Don't be freaked out. Everyone's training is geared towards the tri they are doing. My first tri, I trained for 3 months is all. And that gets you a respectable time(by that ,I mean you're not last). We all had to start from somewhere. I was rubbish at running and started by doing 2 miles in 30 mins (about a year and a half ago). It gets better.

As for the disciplines:
Run: Run further some days, run faster other days. Don't attempt to improve too much or you'll end up with injuries. Make sure you have a decent pair of shoes
Swim:See whether you can find lessons. This is one of the hardest disciplines to learn good technique. It will take time (6 months+) to get to a good technique. You'll be better by the time of the tri this year, and a good swimmer for next years tri's.
Cycle:Rule of thumb is to cycle double your target distance as a long ride.
I've found that sprinting for several minutes, followed by easy and sprinting again has improved the speed.

It's never too late to start.
If you look up the TI website to find a sprint triathlon in july/August, you should have plenty of time to train. You won't win, but you'll be proud of the respectable time you'll put in.
Decide on the tri first. If registrations are open, get in asap. Some of them fill up very quickly. If registrations are not open, keep an eye on the opening dates and get in there quick smart.
You're then training with a date in mind.

Don't be put off by embarassment in joining a club. Most decent clubs will slow down or help you. Use the club for what you can get out of them.

Good luck

HardyEustace

shopaholic wrote: »

Transition:
-plastic box
-towel
-tshirt/singlet
-helmet
-socks (as yet undecided if i'll wear them)
-runners
-bike (duh!)
-water bottle
-talc for runners
-vaseline
-glasses incase contacts act up.

I don't know what the transition area size is in Nenagh are but some triathlons don't have a lot of space and thus plastic boxes are "banned" from the area.

The car parks are quite a way from transition so rather than wrestle a bike and a plastic box to transition, you'd be better off having a small draw string bag that you can wear like a rucksack. That way you can cycle down to transition with your stuff on your back.

Pre-talc your runners, don't have the talcum powder in transition, it's just another thing to get in the way.

Don't bring your glasses, my contacts have always been fine. At the most I would stash a bottle of saline if you're worried about the contacts. Transition is bedlam at the best of times and your glasses might end up damaged or lost.

MCOS

shopaholic wrote: »

Hi!
Am doing Nenagh on Saturday and packing tonight as i'm heading down tomorrow...!

Best of luck shopaholic, I'll be there too

the_badger wrote: »

Hi,
Am i too late to be in a position to do a sprint triathlon this year?? Its been my goal since the start of the year to do one -

No its not! You have loads of time to hit your goal this year. Pick a sprint Tri in July or August and enter it. That will be the motivation you need. Nothing wrong with a 49' 10k or 800m or breaststroke. Agree with tagoona, join a club and it will accelerate your progress.

HardyEustace wrote: »

I don't know what the transition area size is in Nenagh are but some triathlons don't have a lot of space and thus plastic boxes are "banned" from the area.

Pre-talc your runners, don't have the talcum powder in transition, it's just another thing to get in the way.
.

Yep, boxes banned for the Joey Hannon in 2 weeks. Not sure about Nenagh. Thanks, I hadn't thought of talcing my shoes

MrCreosote

Hey Shopaholic
Throw in a spare pair of goggles if you have them. If you don't need them somebody else might...
Good luck to everybody on Saturday too...

HardyEustace

shopaholic wrote: »

Hi!
Am doing Nenagh on Saturday and packing tonight as i'm heading down tomorrow...what am I missing?

shopaholic,
I've noticed that you're missing a race belt.

When cycling your number has to be on your back. When running your number has to be on your front. Some races supply two numbers so that you can pin them back and front, however it'll be fairly uncomfortable to try and swim with the two numbers on your shirt.

The last thing you want to do is start messing about with pinning numbers in transition. A race belt is a cheap and easy solution. You could probably make your own, all you need is a bit of elastic and some pins!

However a race belt is a nice easy solution.

Lock laces in your runners make for a much easier life as well.

richiemack

Hi Guys Ive signed up for Joey Hannon sprint, and stupidly put down 10minutes for the swim, Id say Id be lucky to get it done in half an hour. I have untill the end of today to adjust the time so Im not in a lane with the wrong gang, can anyone recommend a more realistic time? I can just about swim 100m continuously in the pool, and dont want to feel under pressure during the race that Im slowing people down, Id rather complete it, and enjoy. Thanks!!

tagoona

Richiemack,
You'd be better off putting down a time of around 20 or 25 mins at least, but that really is just a guess. How long does the 100m take you? Take that figure and multiply it by 7.5 and then add 10% maybe, for resting every 100m.
At this stage, you really should know how long it takes you to do the 750m swim on a normal training session though.
Have you tried going that far yet?
It would be a big psychological boost to cover that distance in a training session sometime over the weekend. Give it a go.

tagoona

shopaholic wrote: »

Hi!
Swimming:
-shorts
-crop top
Transition:
-tshirt/singlet
-socks (as yet undecided if i'll wear them)
-glasses incase contacts act up.

I know you're nervous about tomorrow, so don't do anything you haven't trained.
Consider whether you could swim in the t-shirt/singlet. One less thing to put on.!
I have seen some horrific blisters post-tri from people without socks. If you haven't trained without socks, be careful.
I'm always concerned about the contacts, so I'm with you on having the glasses in transition. If anything goes wrong, it's easier to pop the glasses on.
If you are planning on wearing contacts. Bring Sunglasses. It keeps wind/sun out of your eyes on the bike at least.

the_badger

For the swim section of the triathlon:

Is it unrealistic to think that you could do the breast stroke for 750 m or would you really have to be doing the front crawl?

griffin100

For the swim section of the triathlon:

Is it unrealistic to think that you could do the breast stroke for 750 m or would you really have to be doing the front crawl?

Breaststroke is fine as long as you make the cut off time (if there is one). I've seen lots of people do breaststoke in Sprint Tri's. Last week in Portlaois quite a few of the newbies did breastroke or breaststroke / crawl mix for the 750m. In fact at least one person backstroked the entire distance, although this mighn't be a good idea in an open water swim.

tunney

richiemack wrote: »

Hi Guys Ive signed up for Joey Hannon sprint, and stupidly put down 10minutes for the swim, Id say Id be lucky to get it done in half an hour. I have untill the end of today to adjust the time so Im not in a lane with the wrong gang, can anyone recommend a more realistic time? I can just about swim 100m continuously in the pool, and dont want to feel under pressure during the race that Im slowing people down, Id rather complete it, and enjoy. Thanks!!

Email the organisers now and tell them. If you start in the 10min for 750m lane you'll get hammered with people swimming over you and generally knocking the crap out of you.

tunney

the_badger wrote: »

For the swim section of the triathlon:

Is it unrealistic to think that you could do the breast stroke for 750 m or would you really have to be doing the front crawl?

If you are doing breast stroke in an OW tri start from the VERY back.

Breast stroking when you've positioned yourself up the front or even in the middle is dangerous for your fellow competitors.

MCOS

tunney wrote: »

Email the organisers now and tell them. If you start in the 10min for 750m lane you'll get hammered with people swimming over you and generally knocking the crap out of you.

Joey Hannon sprint swim is 500m. richiemack, Email mailto:secretary@limericktriathlon.com and ask to change your predicted time to 20 mins. Or if you feel like you will need a break at the wall during the swim, just specify this in the email and you should be slotted into the appropriate lane. You won't be the only one breast stroking and/or stopping at the wall for a quick rest (this is only allowed in the Sprint triathlon).

All set to break the tape tomorrow tunney?!

tunney

MCOS wrote: »

Joey Hannon sprint swim is 500m. richiemack, Email mailto:secretary@limericktriathlon.com and ask to change your predicted time to 20 mins. Or if you feel like you will need a break at the wall during the swim, just specify this in the email and you should be slotted into the appropriate lane. You won't be the only one breast stroking and/or stopping at the wall for a quick rest (this is only allowed in the Sprint triathlon).

All set to break the tape tomorrow tunney?!

Yeah right - David O'Toole will have a no contest win tomorrow. (Triathlon Ireland Elite squad member). Will be happy with top ten.

MCOS

tunney wrote: »

Yeah right - David O'Toole will have a no contest win tomorrow. (Triathlon Ireland Elite squad member). Will be happy with top ten.

Didn't know he was in. Saw him in action winning the PESS (student UL) Tri a couple of weeks ago and at the last Limerick Duathlon, both of which he won easily. I'd say he might upset a few of the regular heads this summer!

tunney

MCOS wrote: »

Didn't know he was in. Saw him in action winning the PESS (student UL) Tri a couple of weeks ago and at the last Limerick Duathlon, both of which he won easily. I'd say he might upset a few of the regular heads this summer!

nay. He's been around a while. Unless Gav or Campbell turn up he always wins.

tunney

anyone doing the race tomorrow should drive the run course to be prepared. Some hills but the problem is the broken nature of the narrow windy roads. Be careful on the run.

MCOS

Hey tunney have a good one tomorrow. You have some wait in wave 7 waiting for all us newbies to go! Cursing all the comfort eating I've been doing the last couple of weeks with College pressure on and all but dead excited none the less:) If you spot me don't be shy and say Hi... I'll be around registration in a plain white hoody...

Nightowl84

Best of luck to everyone competing in the tri tomorrow,

Literally just up the road from me so i might nip up and cheer ye on for the cycle leg...

tunney

Turns out the run was grand when running it.

Well done MCOS on your first tri. Not many people get a top ten finish in their first race!!

shopaholic

MCOS you were in the top ten? wow! Tunney I was in wave 6 and saw you fly by me on the bike...no hope of me drafting as you passed me like i was standing still!

I broke 1hr40 so am thrilled to bits with myself. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions to my list yesterday in the end I went sockless (lovely blisters on my arches but I don't care!) and my ankle held up grand. In hind sight I probably should have put on a baseball cap for the run as I found the (glorious) sun on the top of my head though. I really couldn't get going on the run...I'll call it a stagger but I finished so I don't care!
I thought the tri was really well organised too. I was worried about getting lost on the run but the marshalls and the signs were great!

SUNGOD

well done to all who competed

great stuff shopoholic wear those blisters with pride
and MCOS great result a top ten finish in first tri very very impressive

how did you get on tunney?