Another Beginner Triathlete

loughie

Ok jumped over from the AR forum. Cracked the marathon this year in Berlin (2:56). Always said if I broke 3 in the marathon I'd like to do a triathlon. So I have gone and registered for TriAthy Olympic. I swim regularly enough but mostly with kids. I can swim 3 lengths and take a break, swim another 3 lengths go again. I will get swim lessons. I have a mate a swim instructor and another mate who is a seasoned triathlete who will help 'coach' and do a few open water swims. Bike is unknown!!

Main goal is to complete the event. I am not interested in time.

I know I should probably start with a Sprint but I just want try the challenge of an Olympic!

Are there many out there who would jump straight in with an Olympic first time? Am I mad?

tunney

loughie wrote: »

Ok jumped over from the AR forum. Cracked the marathon this year in Berlin (2:56). Always said if I broke 3 in the marathon I'd like to do a triathlon. So I have gone and registered for TriAthy Olympic. I swim regularly enough but mostly with kids. I can swim 3 lengths and take a break, swim another 3 lengths go again. I will get swim lessons. I have a mate a swim instructor and another mate who is a seasoned triathlete who will help 'coach' and do a few open water swims. Bike is unknown!!

Main goal is to complete the event. I am not interested in time.

I know I should probably start with a Sprint but I just want try the challenge of an Olympic!

Are there many out there who would jump straight in with an Olympic first time? Am I mad?

Its not that you are "mad", or "hard", or "wow he's mad" type thing. The benefit in doing a sprint before an olympic is understanding the sport and the things that go with it - transitions, the challenges of biking after swimming and running after biking. nutrition during the event and what works on race morning. Taking your wetsuit off under pressure and so on.

The sprint would be a practice run for the olympic. Why put all that effort into your A race and have it ruined because you didn't realise X, Y or Z. Things that you would have known if you did a sprint as a learning experience beforehand.

You did a 2:56 marathon so you have an appreciation of performance. Which would you rather a 2:45 marathon or a 8 hour 50km? Same goes here - a faster sprint is more challenging that just getting around an olympic.

Don't dismiss sprint distance as a good focus for year one because others might say "oh you only did a sprint, i did a half ironman". A suitable response to this could be "I did the sprint in 1:02, you did the half ironman in a respectable ironman time". There is more achievement (IMHO) in doing a shorter distance properly than ar$ing around a longer distance.

Anyways rambling over - do both the sprint and the olympic distance.

mossym

loughie wrote: »

Main goal is to complete the event. I am not interested in time.

if all you want to do is finish it, then you'll be fine. Getting your swim to where it needs to be to handle an OW 1500m safely is the key challenge

MojoMaker

Precisely. The Athy swim is nice and fast, once you turn you have a free ride all the way home, but you'll work hard over the first third. The bike is mostly flat, couple of up and downs but an out and back 20km loop on closed roads with nothing technical. As a runner you should prepare for the bike>run transition as it can mess up many a good runner's plans if you drench yourself in lactic acid on the bike leg and the temptation as a first timer will be to go hell for leather with all those around you on the bike. If you can manage the bike leg cleverly you should sail past almost everyone on the run, but be aware a chunk of the run (if they don't change it for 2015) is on a single path riverbank where the surface is rough and overtaking requires planning so you won't have the luxury of a nice flat road rhythm.

Nice day out though, bar the early start for the Olympic race, beats hanging around til 5pm to get going in the sprint at least.

loughie

tunney wrote: »

a faster sprint is more challenging that just getting around an olympic.

Appreciate this point. Like any road race no matter what the distance its easy to get around but its hard to run it fast. My thought from running is that I'm not a big fan of the shorter distances - 5k's are painful hurtlocker stuff! This probably has clouded my decision for sure. Half and full marathons are my best running distances.

Granted my reasons for just wanting to complete the event is due to the fact the swim and bike are an unknown quantity for me. I'd still like to get around in a respectable enough time.

Is it possible to switch between distances or am I locked into Olympic?

tunney

loughie wrote: »

Appreciate this point. Like any road race no matter what the distance its easy to get around but its hard to run it fast. My thought from running is that I'm not a big fan of the shorter distances - 5k's are painful hurtlocker stuff! This probably has clouded my decision for sure. Half and full marathons are my best running distances.

Granted my reasons for just wanting to complete the event is due to the fact the swim and bike are an unknown quantity for me. I'd still like to get around in a respectable enough time.

Is it possible to switch between distances or am I locked into Olympic?

I meant do a sprint in May/June and then the olympic in athy.

loughie

tunney wrote: »

I meant do a sprint in May/June and then the olympic in athy.

I know what you mean get a sprint in first and then do the Olympic in Athy. Athy is at end of May. Are there any Sprints in Mar\April, early May?

tunney

loughie wrote: »

I know what you mean get a sprint in first and then do the Olympic in Athy. Athy is at end of May. Are there any Sprints in Mar\April, early May?

Ah right, do a pool swim one (good one in Nenagh).

mossym

tunney wrote: »

Ah right, do a pool swim one (good one in Nenagh).

which hopefully will run again next year, didn't happen this year as the pool was closed for renovation.

other option is the Joey Hannon in limerick, top race,both a sprint and an olympic. pool swim in the 50m, flat fast bike course, and a run on closed roads around the university. can highly recommend it.

daithiK1

a good option for the may bank holiday

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=88565160

Shedite27

loughie wrote: »

Are there many out there who would jump straight in with an Olympic first time? Am I mad?

I went straight to Olympic from marathon also (slower marathon than you, mind!). No bother at all really. You've obviously got good endurance, so it really is just a few skills you'll need (bike handling, swimming), but plenty fo time to get them in hand by May.

For what it's worth I think people like yourself/myself are better off starting at Olympic distance. It's a bit more foregiving. If you make a balls of transition in your first triathlon, there's a lot more time to make it up on the run/cycle etc.

loughie

Catching up. Well I completed the TriAthy Olympic for my first triathlon yesterday!! Finished in 2:40:17 which I was very happy with. Was in last wave and got round swim in 32:50. Really worked on swimming over the last few months and felt it paid off.....still lots to fix with stroke though !! Bike was just over 1:19 which i found really tough. First couple miles heart rate was really high only got going on bike for 15K or so. Struggled to fuel on bike, slow down to a crawl to take a drink and just couldn't get a gel into me! Run was fine until I missed the second lap turn and ran up to finish line. Was about a minute trying to get back on course, head dropped a bit because of the this but got run in about 43. Got held up along river bank as it was difficult to pass people when they were doubled up along bank. Transitions went ok ...5 mins in total.

Overall a great experience as a first timer, felt maybe was too much time waiting to get into water. Learned a lot. Need to work on bike which I probably neglected as main focus was on swimming, which also needs work.
Think i'll have a go at a sprint next!